Last week, in the centre of a crammed Goregaon office, a skull served as a soft toy. People patted its blue head on the way to their desks and returned its toothy smile. Despite having two holes for eyes, no cheeks and a jaw held together by rubberbands, it looked inviting. Each part of its face boasted braille letters, so when the visually impaired Bhavesh Shah ran his fingers across its yellow forehead, he could tell it was the "frontal lobe."
In the past few years, we have seen several devices designed to help to guide visually impaired. Now, two Indian techies have created a shoe-smartphone combination navigation device - an insole which can be slipped into any footwear for the blind.
The Secunderabad duo, Anirudh Sharma, a postgraduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Krispian Lawrence, a graduate from University of Michigan, have invented a smart-footwear called Le Chal (Hindi for 'take me there').
Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at Israel's Bar Ilan University have developed a prototype contact lens that could enable the visually impaired to see the world in a whole new light. Developed by Professor Zeev Zalevsky, the contact lens processes digital images and translates them into tactile sensations which can then be felt on the user's cornea, allowing them to form a picture of their physical surroundings.
Microsoft Corp. is helping Fort Wayne-based GW Micro dramatically expand the installed base for its main product through an arrangement the companies expect will reduce barriers for millions of people who are blind or visually impaired.
The book, titled 'Reach for the Stars: Touch, Look, Listen, Learn,' is inspired by a latest Hubble Space Telescope image of the colourful '30 Doradus Nebula' - a giant star-forming region.
"We want to convince children that science is cool, is fun and that anybody could be a scientist, if they want to," said astronomer Elena Sabbi of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland and the inspiration behind this project.
If visually impaired people wanted to use the Microsoft Office suite, before NVDA, they'd have to purchase a screen reader – either JAWS for Windows, or Window Eyes. today, a partnership will enhance this access at no cost to users.
GW Micro has forged a partnership with Microsoft which will offer users of Microsoft Office versions starting with Office 2010 a free copy of Window-Eyes.
A NEW application has been developed to help dyslexic and visually impaired train passengers.
Southern and Gatwick Express have launched the app on their websites – www.southernrailway.com and www.gatwickexpress.com – which is designed to help users access content with much more ease.
The system, called Recite, allows those with visual impairment and/or dyslexia to customise the site the way they need it to work for them.
While many of the digital glitterati thronging this week's Consumer Electronics Show were wearing Google's new internet glasses, rival online eyewear products abounded among the trade stands.
US-based Vuzix showed off what it billed as the first commercially available "smartglasses," an Android-powered monocle-style device with a high-resolution camera.
It can be connected to smartphones or wireless internet hotspots and display internet date directly in front of a user's eye.
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