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New technologies could soon make life easier for visually impaired people. Many researchers around the world are working on projects to facilitate their mobility and independence. This World Sight Day, Thursday, October 13, here's a look at some of the most spectacular projects underway.
New technologies could soon make life easier for visually impaired people. Many researchers around the world are working on projects to facilitate their mobility and independence. This World Sight Day, Thursday, October 13, here's a look at some of the most spectacular projects underway.
Many startups are working on solutions to make life easier for visually impaired people. Among the few products already available on the market is Rango, developed by the Lyon, France-based startup GoSense. It is a connected module that makes white canes more intelligent. Users can expect to move around safely, as this accessory can detect the slightest obstacle in the vicinity, including those at height, which are usually undetectable by a simple white cane.
For its part, the Californian startup Mojo Vision is working on a highly ambitious concept of contact lenses equipped with a screen and a chip, capable of transcribing images in augmented reality. Still at the prototype stage, it could one day help visually impaired people better understand their environment.
Indeed, in labs around the world, researchers are coming up with all kinds of ways to help the visually impaired. In partnership with a guide dog training school, engineers at Google Research have developed highly original technology that involves walking (or running) along a path defined by a yellow line painted on the ground. A camera analyzes the user's deviations and alerts them through small sounds emitted in headphones, allowing them to immediately correct their trajectory. The project is called Guideline.
At Intel, researchers have developed a rather complex system that fits into a backpack and a waist pack. The enclosed equipment serves to analyze the wearer's surrounding environment in real time and tells them, via voice assistance, how to move around and if there are obstacles ahead. The idea is that a visually impaired person, or even a completely blind person, could one day be able to move around unhindered in the street and gain considerably in independence.
In the same vein, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a sophisticated system consisting of a 3D camera, worn like glasses, and a haptic feedback sleeve that uses vibrations to indicate the presence of nearby obstacles to the wearer.
At the University of California, Berkeley, afully autonomous robot is being developed to replace even the best of guide dogs. Also held on a leash, it aims to help visually impaired people move around in narrow or obstructed spaces thanks to a laser telemetry system.
Smartphones can also be a very useful tool for the visually impaired. Apple has developed a number of solutions for people with disabilities. Among these tools is a feature that analyzes the attributes of a door (push/pull, sliding, folding, emergency, etc.) and instantly indicates how to open it.
Finally, there are other simple initiatives that can make life easier. In New York, for example, the city will soon install nearly 10,000 audible signaling devices for blind and visually impaired pedestrians.
