Invention helps blind people see with their fingers

System model helps visually impaired people look with fingers.Photo: Newscientist.

With a pea-like camera, image analysis software and a super-small laptop, blind people can locate objects in their surroundings and pass them easily.

George Stetten, a bio-mechanical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh (USA), came up with the idea of ​​attaching a tiny camera to his finger and connecting it to a laptop to help blind people detect objects.

If important objects are detected in the surrounding environment, the computer sends signals to the camera and the camera switches to vibrate mode to signal. The computer sends a warning signal to the camera when it detects obstacles such as walls and cars. Even image analysis software can describe the shape and size of obstacles for the blind to pass.

Thanks to advanced image processing software, the system can identify hundreds of objects. The camera's vibration mode makes it easier for users to reach the target. For example, when you need to find an electrical switch in a room, the user places a finger around the camera until the camera vibrates. While approaching the switch, the camera will stop vibrating if the user goes in the wrong direction. In the opposite case, it will vibrate continuously.

Electronic vehicles that support blind and visually impaired people in locating and interacting with their surroundings, such as ultrasound sticks and global navigation devices with voice recognition capabilities, are increasingly become popular. But George Stetten's system can raise the level of environmental interaction of blinds to a new standard.