Rendre la vue aux malvoyants et aux aveugles ? C’est possible !
It is estimated that there are approximately 45 million blind people in the world, and 216 million people with moderate to severe visual impairments. Although the World Health Organization points out that up to 80% of visual impairment worldwide can be prevented through better access to treatment, the number of people who are blind or partially sighted is increasing as the world’s population ages.
But technology plays a vital role in breaking down barriers, and artificial intelligence is making real strides in improving accessibility. Here are a few examples that show how smart technology can change the game, allowing everyone to interact with the world in new ways.
The eye in AI
The Seeing AI app is designed to help visually impaired or blind people. It enhances the world around the user through rich audio descriptions. She can read a handwritten note or scan a barcode and then tell the user what the product is. By pointing a camera at an object, the app describes how many people it can see and their position in the image – center, top left, etc.
3-D Sound Maps
For a sighted person, walking down the street can mean becoming aware of all the details around him. A device such as Soundscape mimics this behavior by building a detailed audio map that chronicles what is happening around a visually impaired person. It creates layers of context and detail by drawing on location data, sound beacons, and synthesized 3D stereo sound to build a constantly updated 3D sound map of the surrounding world.
Knowledge at your fingertips
Braille has been used for almost 200 years as a means of tactile reading at the fingertips. It has now moved from the page to the screen thanks to screen readers, which support screens and digital braille keyboards. Braille touch screens that work similarly to tablets have already proven their popularity with students and teachers.
Beacons of change
Bluetooth beacons, such as those used by the company Foresight Augmented Reality, act as very precise and personalized guides for people who are blind or visually impaired get more followers on facebook. While basic GPS technology can lead users to a location, beacons installed in a store, restaurant or public building can guide them to the entrance of the building in question. And when the user is inside, other beacons can direct them to restrooms or other important facilities.
electric vehicles
The European Union takes no risks as far as the safety of people is concerned. Under the new legislation, electric vehicles must be audible at low speeds and when reversing. Some manufacturers are already integrating artificial noise into their electric vehicles.
smart glasses
Creating smart glasses that can use AI will allow the user to read, provide navigational information, and possibly identify faces. The glasses are linked to a smartphone by a processing unit, which allows the system to work without an Internet connection.
Today, eSight is a visual compensation system. It is the first, and the only one to date, which can be used in all situations of daily life. Like a hearing aid that can be used all day, the eSight is a system that will accompany the visually impaired person throughout their activities.
These smart glasses are still in the early stages of development, but are said to perform with a 95% reading accuracy rate.
This is just a brief explanation of how assistive technologies and mainstream technologies have helped and improved the quality of life for those of us with bitcoin-mix visual impairments. As there are many types and brands of these technologies, it is almost impossible for us to cover this topic in one post.
Assistive technologies have certainly opened many doors and removed countless barriers, and we are very excited to see what they can do for all of us in the future!
Sources:
siecledigital.fr
numerama.com
franceinfo.fr
https://www.foresightar.com/
mysecurite.com
https://www.esighteyewear.eu/fr/accueil
https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news /releases/2003/pr73/en/