In this week’s Cool Picks, Nelson and James discuss their top acquisitions in assistive tech. You can show your support for Cool Blind Tech by giving us a 5 star rating on iTunes.
An Update to BrailleBack Beta for Android is Now Available.
If you have an Android device and a braille display, the BrailleBack app from the Play Store is a must have. The app makes it possible to read and input on your Android device using the braille display.
Just released! BlindSight, a Free Android App That Implements Advanced AI Features
Neuro X Labs have just released BlindSight, a free Android app that implements advanced AI features, narrating the scenes fed to it by the phone camera. It requires no internet connection, collects no user data and the app is only 50MB. The app is in its early stages but Neuro X Labs are looking for feedback.
The American Foundation for the Blind’s CareerConnect Program Helps Job Seekers Who are Blind.
One of the biggest and most important obstacles that blind people face is meaningful employment. The American Foundation for the Blind recognizes this problem, and has established a CareerConnect page on their website that helps blind people overcome some of the difficulties that they encounter when seeking employment.
Some of the tools that the AFB offers are: Explore Jobs for Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, Connect with Successfully Employed Mentors with Vision Loss, Develop a Resume or Personal Data Sheet, Prepare for a Job Interview, Disclose a Visual Impairment to a Potential Employer, and Improve Employment Outcomes by Utilizing Career-Related Lesson Plans.
Bristol Braille Wins Accessibility Award
The AbilityNet’s Tech4Good awards were held this month, the UK’s only award ceremony celebrating entrepreneurs and businesses innovating technology for the greater good of society.
Global Blindness Predicted to ‘Triple by 2050
The number of blind people across the world is anticipated to triple within the next four decades according to researchers.
Writing in Lancet Global Health, they predict cases will rise from 36 million to 115 million by 2050, if treatment is not improved by better funding.
VIP: Keeping it Clean
In this week’s VIP, Nelson and James discuss the top stories on Cool Blind Tech. They also delve into the subject of housekeeping.
GlovEye Brings Braille to Your Finger Tip.
At this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup, a team from Hungary developed a glove that has a refreshable braille cell built into the index finger of the glove. The GlovEye works with an app on your smart phone. Just point the phone’s camera at some text, and braille will appear on the glove.
Sense+ Lights Up Your World by describing People, Places, and Objects Around You.
At this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup, a team from Hong Kong created a mobile app that describes people, colors, objects, and nearby places. The team is focusing on eliminating the social isolation that can occur when a person loses their sight.
Smart Cane Uses Image Recognition and Voice Feedback to Provide a More Accurate Description.
At this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup, Team Titamas from Japan designed a smart cane that is different from the ultrasonic and laser canes that we have seen in the past. The team recognized that it is important that a blind person not only know that there is an object in their path, but also what the object is, where it is, and does it pose a danger to the user.
The Walky uses image recognition to identify the object in real time. It then uses directional voice feedback to communicate that information to the user.
You must be logged in to post a comment.