Thanks David. Amazing technology with so much promise.
Let's hope that the Department of Defense, or any other government agency
can give this technology the funding it deserves. 1 million dollars is fine
and dandy, but come on, let's not take our eye off the ball.
dp
-----Original Message-----
From: David Goldfield
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2016 10:24 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
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