Five students from China have developed a smart helmet that could aid the visually impaired in their everyday activities.
Called the “Eye See”, the laser-equipped helmet is capable of detecting obstacles, as well as identifying text and describing people you meet.
The helmet is equipped with a camera and laser radar, which allows it to detect obstacles within a distance of about 10 feet (3 meters), and will emit a warning sound when the wearer gets too close to a barrier.
The radar, similar to the ones we see on self-driving cars, is capable of performing a 360 degree, omni-directional scan.
With its camera, the helmet can even identify text on signs and books in front of the wearer, and read it out.
The developers even claim the onboard AI is able to provide basic descriptions of people, by image recognition. In a demo video, the helmet guesses the age of someone facing it, and notes the colour of the clothes he’s wearing.
The developers, who come from the City College of Kunming University of Science and Technology, say they hope the helmet will enable the blind to go about their everyday life more easily.
“We hope that through the helmet, they will be able to go out, socialize and do things that [sighted] people do on a daily basis,” said Wang Wancen, one of the five students.
Source: China Central Television (CCTV)
