New technology helps blind people to read without braille

Blind people can read between 63 and 81 words per minute thanks to a finger-mounted camera system that recognizes the text and reads them out loud.

Developers from the University of Maryland have incorporated intelligent text reading software and a tiny camera to create HanSight . This is a camera system on the fingertips that allows blind people to read text without writing to be written in Braille as usual.

This technology and the tests are introduced in detail on ACM Transactions, Accessible Computing.

New technology helps blind people to read text even without books written in Braille - (Photo: YouTube).

Accordingly, looking outside, this technology is quite compact, the camera can be held firmly on the finger like a ring while the rest of the device wraps around the wrist. Users move their fingers along the text, the camera will record and read aloud from it. Sound signals and gentle vibrations instruct users when to get down or remind them to adjust their finger position.

In the published trial, the researchers tested the device on 19 blind people. Overall, they were able to read 63 to 81 words per minute thanks to the camera system capable of recognizing text language and reading them out loud. This number is lower than 90 - 115 words per minute as a person who reads Braille and is lower than 200 words per minute of someone with normal eyes.

Although the reading speed of this device is slower than the traditional Braille reading, this is said to be a useful technology for the blind - (Photo: YouTube)

However, this is still a potential device, a useful tool for the blind. HandSight creators are continuing to build more functions, giving it the ability to distinguish both models and colors.

It is estimated that there are currently 285 million blinds in the world. HandSight is actually just one of many new technology initiatives designed to support them.

Besides this small useful camera, many other devices also integrate artificial intelligence and virtual reality to help blind people realize the world around them. Researchers continue to develop new technologies and millions of visually impaired people will have easier lives.