A new set of smart glasses from Envision can help blind people read. The glasses, which were built on the enterprise edition of Google Glass, rely heavily on artificial intelligence to help people see and understand their surroundings.
These smart glasses help blind people see
Image source: Envision
The smart glasses are made by a company called Envision. The goal of the glasses is to make it easier for blind people, or visually impaired people, to get around. The glasses help blind people see by using a small built-in speaker to alert them of things. There’s also a small camera on the side, which can scan objects and people.
The camera is also capable of scanning text, which it can then relay to the user using the built-in speaker. Altogether, the glasses help people see by giving them technology that can assist them. Sometimes this is done with A.I. Other times, the Envision glasses let the user contact friends or family via video call, so they can describe the environment to them.
Later on, as machine learning and artificial intelligence research continues, products like this may be able to help blind people see without the aid of others. For now, though, the Envision glasses rely on processing visual information and feeding it to the user via audio.
Continuing the search for solutions
Image source: Envision
Envision isn’t the only company developing apps and hardware to help blind people see. Google’s Lookout app can help people identify food labels, as well as find objects in a room. Like Envision, it can also scan documents, money, and other things. As CNET mentions, Be My Eyes is also another app that can help. It connects visually impaired users with sighted volunteers. The volunteers then help the user get around via a live chat function.
Of course, there are also scientific endeavors looking for ways to help visually impaired users improve their eyesight. Some scientists have created a bionic eye. Others have made devices that let you see using your arms. Even still, other breakthrough techniques help blind people see shapes, too. There’s a lot of work going towards finding a solution to help those in need.
Envision is just one of those solutions. Still, having a pair of glasses that can help blind people see using A.I. is exciting. It will be even more intriguing to see what companies like this do as the technology advances and becomes even stronger and more reliable.
