Hi,
I gave this app a try yesterday. I have had a lot of success with it and plan
to keep it handy. I have seen on other lists that many have had problems with
learning how to use this app. I had no difficulties at all. And I found it to
be at least as good if not better, for me personally, than Tap Tap See. I had
to make no adjustments in app or with the phone settings. However, on my 6S+
even though it has a good camera and automatic flash set by default, I have
found that it works much better if you are using it in decent light situations.
Since I am extremely sensitive to light, I often forget to turn any lights on
at all. And I use blackout curtains on most of the windows in the apartment. I
found by simply turning on one light in a room, the accuracy and generous
description of the objects in the room increased dramatically.
This is a terrific app and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does next.
Merv
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 9:20 PM
To: Philadelphia Computer Users Group for the Blind and Visually Impaired
<blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] Another Article About the Developer of the
Identifi App
theweeklynews.ca
Richmond Hill student uses app to give visually-impaired new look at world
Anmol Tukrel, 17, has created an app that helps visually impaired people
identify objects and text Anmol Tukrel Anmol Tukrel Toronto Star Photo Anmol
Tukrel, a Grade 12 student at Holy Trinity who designed an app for blind people
that describes things you take photos of with your iPhone or iPad.
Richmond Hill Liberal
A Toronto teen is hoping to change the lives of visually impaired people around
the world with a new app that can identify virtually any object with the quick
tap of an iPhone or iPad.
Anmol Tukrel, a 17-year-old grade 12 student at Holy Trinity School in Richmond
Hill, has always been fascinated with technology, particularly artificial
intelligence. By the time he was in grade 7, he was already teaching himself
how to code.
Growing up, Tukrel often travelled to Pune, India to visit his aunt who worked
at the K. K. Eye Institute, a hospital dedicated to providing eye care for
people who can’t afford it. That experience, combined with an internship at a
startup that uses computer vision to make products for advertising firms, led
him to the perfect idea for a Canada-Wide Science Fair project.
“I thought I could use computer vision for a more humanitarian use, and help
visually impaired people,” he said.
Tukrel’s iPhone app, iDentifi, allows users to take a photo of virtually any
object, and then describes that item in great detail back to the user. People
can also take photos of text and have it read back to them, in one of 27
languages. Tukrel hopes it makes every day tasks — like picking out the can of
pop you want — easier for people who are visually impaired.
Jason Fayre, the head of accessibility and assistive technology at the Canadian
National Institute for the Blind, tested out the app and, although there are
similar apps on the market, gave it a rave review.
“I’m extremely impressed, especially that it was written by a grade 12 person,”
he said. As a blind person himself, Fayre said iDentifi would make his life in
easier when trying to identify things in the kitchen.
“If I don’t know what a particular can of something is, being able to take a
picture and have that information read back to me in great detail is very
useful,” he said.
It took Tukrel more than a year to develop the app, a process that involved
months of painstaking research and enough code to fill a two-inch binder. He
had initially planned on making his own convolutional neural network — computer
speak for the data structure used to make the a program that recognizes
objects. Eventually, he opted to integrate existing programs.
Tukrel casually speaks about computer vision, convolutional neural networks,
and application program interfaces as though he were a university graduate of
computer science – not an about-to-graduate high schooler.
“I’ve always liked technology, but as much as I like playing video games and
using different apps, I wanted to be able to make them myself,”
Tukrel said.
For Tukrel, the work doesn’t stop now that the science fair is over.
He has already met with various organizations to get feedback on the app, and
plans on making tweaks to improve the user experience. So far, the app has been
downloaded by several thousand people and is being used in 60 countries. And,
it’s free, something Tukrel doesn’t plan on changing.
“I want people who are visually impaired to use it without thinking of the
financial consequences of doing so,” he said. “We have such great technology
and I think it’s important that everyone has access to it.”
--
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
You are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
for additional resources and information about assistive technology training
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