Gadgets for the visually impaired are nothing new, but the Touch Sight camera is one of the most unique we've seen. Designed to be held against the forehead, the camera doesn't have an LCD, but instead displays a three-dimensional representation of the image on a built-in Braille screen and records three seconds of audio to assist users in locating and managing shots. Just a concept for now, but let's hope it makes it to market -- it seems like it'd be a fun toy for the sighted as well.

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.

The K-NFB, a joint venture between Kurzweil Technologies and the National Federation of the Blind, introduced knfbREADER this week, a text-to-speech program for the N82. Coupling Kurzweil's image processing with the N82's camera, a user only has to snap a pic of the document to be read and the software will speak it back and allow you to follow along on the handset's screen as it highlights each word read. The device is able to read just about all printed materials, from newspapers to glossy printed material and even US currency. Compared to earlier products -- dating way back to giant contraptions in the early 80's -- this tiny package will be a boon for the visually impaired, as there's now no need to drag something around that's the size of a photocopier. We're hoping that we see this offering expand to other sets with capable cameras, and that the pricing gives all a warm fuzzy feeling.

[Via Yahoo News]

A trade show held in Japan recently called AMEDIA showed off 18 new products aimed at helping the visually impaired better utilize technology. Among the devices on offer were an adaptive Braille display, which can convert text from a PC screen into the hand-read alphabet in real time, the REHA Vision "Color Talk," a handheld scanner which can recognize 220 colors and speak them to the user, and what appears to be GW Micro's VoiceSense PDA (here being employed to help those with visual impairments in the IT sector). The collection of gadgets clearly illustrates the kind of time and energy being put into making modern technology more accessible to everyone. Hit the read link for a (translated) tour of the show.

A team of Georgia Tech researchers have devised a wearable computer system that promises to help blind people navigate unfamiliar areas, and please the acronym police as well. Like most prototypes, the the SWAN (System for Wearable Audio Navigation) is pretty bulky in its current form, with a laptop, GPS, inertial sensors, pedometer, RFID tags, RF sensors, a compass, and other gear all stuffed into a backpack, although they're apparently already working on a smaller version. To get navigation information to the wearer, the SWAN employs a pair of "bonephones" (also developed by Georgia Tech), which send sounds to the person using bone conduction, letting them keep their ears free to hear what's going on around them. Instead of using traditional voice navigation, however, the SWAN uses what the researchers call "3D audio cues," which consist of navigational beacons that the person is supposed to walk towards, and secondary sounds informing them of nearby objects or changes in walking surfaces. Makes the UltraCane seem a little old-fashioned, no?

[Via Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends]