Hello David and everyone,
This thing sounds like a cross between the optacon and the KNFB Reader.
While a device like this will take its place in a blind person's Arsenal of
reading solutions it will never replace Braille. My wife who is a Braille
Proofreader said "Amen!"
Peter Donahue
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2016 9:25 PM
To: Philadelphia Computer Users Group for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] From PC Magazine: Fingertip Camera Reads to the
Blind
This reminds me of a similar project developed several years ago at MIT.
pcmag.com
Fingertip Camera Reads to the Blind
By Stephanie Mlot
•
• November 10, 2016 09:37am EST
University of Maryland researchers develop a wearable that allows the visually
impaired to read without braille.
HandSight
A group of scientists at the University of Maryland have come up with a novel
solution to the problem of allowing the visually impaired to read.
The team, led by assistant professor of computer science Jon Froehlich,
developed a device that allows blind people to read text without the aid of
braille, which isn't always available.
Dubbed HandSight, the vision-augmented touch system features a tiny CMOS camera
typically used for endoscopies and laparoscopic surgery. This is combined with
micro-haptic actuators that allow the device to vibrate while remaining as
small as possible.
The early-stage technology, according to New Scientist, slips onto the
fingertip like a ring; additional pieces attach to the hand and wrist.
As the user slides their finger over a non-tactile surface, such as the page of
a book, a computer linked to the device recites each line of text.
Pitch-controlled audio cues and vibration feedback help guide the reader across
the page, alerting them to line breaks or the need to reposition their finger
to continue reading.
A group of 19 blind people who tested the device using books and magazines
managed to average a reading speed of between 63 and 81 words per minute.
Later versions of the wearable will use a smartwatch like the Samsung Galaxy
Gear for power, processing, and audio, making for a more portable experience.
"Compared to handheld text scanners such as mobile phone applications, mounting
a tiny camera on the user's own finger has the potential to mitigate camera
framing issues, enable a blind reader to better understand the spatial layout
of a document, and provide better control over reading pace," the team wrote in
a recent study.
The gadget was born in 2012 out of a class project in Froehlich's Tangible
Interactive Computing graduate course. Two years later, it received a $1
million grant from the Department of Defense's US Army Medical Research and
Materiel Command to assist visually impaired veterans.
The research team's initial goal is to assist visually impaired folks in
reading without braille. Eventually, though, they hope users will be able to
touch a piece of clothing and hear suggestions for coordinating an outfit, or
handle a piece of fruit to learn its color.
--
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist Feel free to visit my Web site
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