There's hardly a shortage of pocketable devices for the blind, but the Zen is lookin' out for the visually impaired who crave a more full-fledged computing experience. Essentially, the Sandbox PC (hardware) and Zen (operating system) would team up to "create a computing environment that could be used with eyes closed." More specifically, it would utilize an Active Surface for displaying text in Braille and producing images, windows and icons that could be felt. No word on whether this contraption would handle other tasks such as reading one's e-mail aloud or enabling the blind to still participate in Hot or Not, but nevertheless, it's definitely a step in the right direction.

Although we've seen gait monitors and even prosthetic feet that assist individuals in regaining a more natural stride, scientists at Technion Institute of Technology in Israel have resorted to a head-mounted display for its rendition. This virtual reality device combines "auditory and visual feedback to improve walking speed and stride length in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease," and provides the wearer with a "tiled-floor image" that apparently assists them in navigating nearly any terrain. The device is meant to take the place of normal muscle feedback mechanisms, and to provide said feedback to these disabled individuals so they can make adjustments and improve the efficiency of their walk. The HMD has already made its way to several medical centers and has purportedly yielded positive results, but there was no word on when this device would be commercially available.

[Via MedGadget]

Years back, scientists at the University of Bonn reckoned a visual implant would cure blindness, but unfortunately, the results were less than positive. While many alternatives have surfaced in the meantime, gurus at the institution are hitting back yet again with another option of their own, as the researchers introduced a software system that enables visual prosthesis to "learn" how to interpret sights in a way that the brain can understand -- something the original implementation had difficultly accomplishing. Essentially, an artificial retina "must learn to generate signals that are useful for the brain," and while the group's software should assist users with "flexible" central visual systems to garner new abilities in sight, they warn against "expecting miracles" too soon.

[Via MedGadget]

Scientific American is reporting that a team of researchers at the Aristotle University of Thessaloníki in Greece have created a system that can convert video into tactile, three dimensional maps designed to help blind people navigate. So called "haptic maps" have apparently been developed before, but the new system works with standard video camera equipment. These maps are created by using software that maps a series of points to a virtual 3D space: a special glove and wand then apply forces to the fingers to simulate these virtual space points. The system can also simulate 3D street maps where the user can "run a finger or wand down the grooved roads of the virtual map" and have street names spoken to them using speech synthesis. This isn't the end of the problem however, as visually impaired people will still need a guide dog or cane to avoid smaller obstacles like potholes. There's also a great deal of potential here for fully sighted people: Dan Jacobson, co-chair of the International Cartographic Association's commission mentions that it could convey information about things that are not in view, and with a growing minority of sighted people trusting their gadgets more than their eyes, we'd tend to agree.

[Via Primidi, Image credit]