blindness
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'Sonar Vision' system touted by researchers to help the blind hear what they can't see
Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a prototype system that could one day aid the congenitally blind by converting video into auditory cues. The "Sonar Vision" works in a similar way to a bat's echolocation system, but instead of chirping, uses a video camera embedded in a pair of glasses. A laptop or smartphone then converts the images into sound, which is transmitted to a headset. After 70 hours or so of training, that allowed users to identify objects like faces or houses, position objects in space and even identify individual letters. Surprisingly, researchers also found that after only several hours using the device, regions of the cerebral cortex dedicated to sight became activated for the first time in the congenitally sightless. That could possibly let doctors "wake up" regions of the brain never before used, according to the team, "even after a lifetime of blindness." [Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Perkins Smart Brailler helps the blind learn to type, closes the digital divide
Most digital Braille devices are built on the assumption that the legally blind already know how to write in the format -- if they don't, they're often forced back to the analog world to learn. PDT and Perkins hope to address that longstanding technology gap with the Perkins Smart Brailler. Going digital lets Perkins build in lessons for newcomers as well as provide immediate audio feedback (visual for writers with borderline vision) and text-to-speech conversion to give even an old hand a boost. Logically, the leap into the modern world also allows transferring documents over USB along with traditional Braille printouts. Smart Braillers will cost a weighty $1,995 each when they first ship in September, but it's hard to put a price tag on mastering communication and fully joining the digital generation.
Fujitsu, NICT create indoor navigation for the blind using ultrawideband, Android phones, kind hearts
There's no shortage of navigation outdoors, and even a little bit of help indoors, but there's been precious little aid for the blind indoors -- leaving them little choice but to move cautiously or get outside help. Fujitsu and Japan's NICT have crafted a system that gives the sightless a greater level of autonomy inside through ultrawideband-based impulse radio. A grid of UWB radios positioned around a room gauge the distances between each other and transmit the data to a PC, which then talks to the traveler's Android phone. The device then gives spoken directions based on a 12-o'clock system and far subtler distances than GPS can manage: the positioning is accurate to within a foot. While the indoors navigation is only just getting a demo this week, it's already being refined to detect objects in the room as well as to help even the fully sighted. If Fujitsu and NICT have their way, buildings ranging from hospitals to malls will have their own turn-by-turn navigation. For some, the freedom of movement could be a life-changer.
Student spends summer turning a tablet into a Braille writer, says mowing lawns is for chumps
Lots of us spend the summer by the pool, sipping Mai Tais and working on our tans, but Adam Duran had better things to do with his vacation. Instead of engaging in such lethargy, Duran attended the Army High Performance Computing Research Center's summer course held at Stanford, where he and his mentors, Sohan Dharmaraja and Adrian Lew, developed a Braille writer app for tablets. You see, the average 8-key Braille writer is a custom laptop that costs $6,000, so given the paltry pricing on today's slates, this new solution is considerably more economical. Users place their fingertips on the display and the app populates keys underneath them, rendering tactile indicators of the keys' location unnecessary. Plus, the virtual keyboard provides a custom fit for your phalanges no matter how big or small they may be. The project has some "technical and legal hurdles to address" before it's made available to the masses, but here's hoping they can clear them soon. Video of the app in action after the break.
AT&T intros free Android accessibility solution for visually impaired (video)
If you or somebody you know is blind or visually impaired, then you'll definitely want to take note of AT&T's latest offering for its Android phones, which is certainly more charitable than its prior solution. For a limited time, the carrier is distributing a free, customized version of Mobile Accessibility, an app that provides voice cues and assistance for completing many common tasks on Google-powered smartphones. Users will find the ability to place calls, send email and text messages, set alarms, browse the web, find their current location and more. With voice synthesis provided by Nuance Vocalizer, the app traditionally retails for $99 in the Android Market -- so it might be wise to act quickly on this one. To learn more about Mobile Accessibility Lite, you'll find a quick video tour and the full PR after the break.
New Faxion trailer reveals combat details and status effects
The combat in Faxion Online is shaping up to be a cut above the MMORPG norm according to a press release and a new video from UTV True Games. The free-to-play firm has just detailed Faxion's fighting system and is touting numerous visual cues and effects that help the player unleash hell on his enemies. Combat information is conveyed via a combination of color-coded floating text, status icons, and Vortex Effects, which change the player's viewing area (like the "Confuse" effect in the header image). Faxion's combat status reports can be summed up thusly: The more severe an effect, the stronger the player notification. "We don't want players to rely on the same old visuals; instead we want there to be an instinct and intuitiveness to this combat system that also allows them to know their status quickly so they can dish out more pain to their enemies," says UTV Studio Head Frank Lucero. Check out the video after the cut and head to the official Faxion Online website to sign up for beta. You can also see four screenshots of the game's status effects in the gallery below. %Gallery-113832%
iPhone 4 plus Brailliant-32 display enables even blind men to experience the magic (video)
The evolution of phones away from physical buttons toward touchscreens is great if you're into clean, aesthetic design. But, if you're suffering from limited vision, there are some obvious issues. Thankfully the iPhone 4 at least has support for Braille displays like those Brailliant, as kindly demonstrated by acoustic guitar virtuoso and software guru Victor Tasaran. Using the six buttons on his Brailliant-32 he's able to navigate across icons, then feel the text beneath each one -- or wait for the phone's hurried text-to-speech to read back to him. It's an encouraging solution for smartphone accessibility, but does have a rather negative impact on portability -- and, we're sad to say, on cost as well. His 32-character unit will set you back just under $4k, which is many times the cost of the phone itself. But, at least when it's used like in the video below, sitting on the table, he won't have to worry about signal issues. Update: To be clear the text-to-speech is entirely being generated by the phone; it's a stock feature of iOS 4. The Brailliant is enabling Victor to cycle through icons, make selections, and "read" the on-screen text with his fingers.
Subretinal implant successfully tested on humans, makes blind narrowly see
How many scientists does it take to properly install a lightbulb? When that lightbulb is an implant that stimulates retinal photoreceptors to restore one's sight, quite a few -- even if they disagree whether said implant should be placed on top of the retina (requiring glasses to supply power and video feed) or underneath, using photocells to channel natural sunlight. Now, a German firm dubbed Retina Implant has scored a big win for the subretinal solution with a three-millimeter, 1,500 pixel microchip that gives patients a 12 degree field of view. Conducting human trials with 11 patients suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, the company successfully performed operations on seven, with one even managing to distinguish between similar objects (knife, fork, spoon) and perform very basic reading. Though usual disclaimers apply -- the tech is still a long way off, it only works on folks who've slowly lost their vision, etc. -- this seems like a step in the right direction, and at least one man now knows which direction that is.
British surgeons using radiation beams to halt macular degeneration
We've seen more eyesight restoration efforts than we could easily count, but rather than tooting their horn about some theoretical discovery, boffins at Kings College Hospital in London are actually putting their hard work to use on real, live human brings. The new process, which goes by the name brachytherapy, is a one-off treatment for macular degeneration. In essence, surgeons carefully light up a beam of radiation within the eye for just over three minutes, which kills harmful cells without damaging anything else. A trial is currently underway in order to restore eyesight in some 363 patients, and everything thus far leads us to believe that the process is both safe and effective. As for costs? The procedure currently runs £6,000 ($9,889), but that's still not awful when you consider that existing treatments involving injections run £800 per month. Hop past the break for a video report.
Intel Reader handheld device converts text to spoken word
While we busy ourselves with arguments about how to replace the perfectly usable book gadget, Intel is dealing with the complications that keep far too many people from being able to read at all. Presenting its Reader as a necessity rather than luxury, Intel has shown off its vision for how visually impaired and dyslexic people can obtain access to the written word. Combining a text-scanning camera with a text-to-speech engine (powered by an Atom inside) is certainly no bad idea, but as the video beyond the break will show you, Intel's execution isn't exactly stellar. The arrhythmic, robotic reading from Alice In Wonderland left us shaken, but what floored us was the $1,499 asking price. Yes, it's a customized niche device, but we reckon we could build something similar for a third of the price. Full PR and video after the break.
Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out
Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis. It's a real procedure that really does revive people's ability to see, yet we get the feeling that people will be more, um, excited about how it's done than why it's done. The seemingly Mary Shelley-inspired doctors extract a tooth from a blind person and drill a hole through it, where a prosthetic lens is placed, and the resulting macabre construction is implanted into the blind person's eye. The tooth is necessary as the body would reject an artificial base. It's not at all pretty, and it cannot repair every type of blindness, but it's still a major step forward. To hear from Sharron Thornton, the first American to have undergone the procedure, check the video after the break, but only if you can handle mildly graphic content -- you've been warned. [Via Daily Tech]
BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market
We first saw the crazy BrainPort in 2006, but the intervening time hasn't been wasted by its developers, who've brought the quirky visual aid to the cusp of commercial viability. If you'll recall, the device translates signals from a head-mounted camera to electrical pulses that lightly zap your tongue in response to visual stimuli -- early results have shown people can regain a good bit of their spatial awareness and even read large writing. The next step is FDA approval, which is expected by year's end, meaning that the BrainPort could arrive as early as 2010. There is a steep entry fee though, with prices expected to begin at $10,000, but the very fact you'll be able to buy it is a milestone in our book. Edifying video after the break. [Thanks, Toy]
Virtually leading the blind
Virtual environments are an extraordinarily useful piece of technology, being that they possess most of the qualities of the atomic world (obviously barring physical substance and fine granularity) at an infinitesimal fraction of the cost of the real thing. As a primarily visual medium, however, what do you do if you're blind or significantly visually impaired yet still want to use Second Life? Well, one option is TextSL, but then there's Max. Max is a virtual guide-dog to allow the visually impaired to interact more readily in what is primarily a visual environment.
Silicone Touch: an iPhone case for the visually impaired
The iPhone has never seemed a likely contender as a smart phone for the blind (it's certainly not designed for touch typing), which makes this case by designer Bruno Fosi all the more impressive. The Silicone Touch covers the phone's screen and features a selection of bas-relief buttons that correspond to menu items in a custom app, allowing those with diminished sight access to all the phone's functions, including multi-touch and finger flick scrolling. Right now it's just a concept, but we're hoping to see this one become a reality sooner rather than later.[Via Yanko Design]
Silicon Touch: an iPhone case for the visually impaired
The iPhone has never seemed a likely contender as a smart phone for the blind (it's certainly not designed for touch typing), which makes this case by designer Bruno Fosi all the more impressive. The Silicon Touch covers the phone's screen and features a selection of bas-relief buttons that correspond to menu items in a custom app, allowing those with diminished sight access to all the phone's functions, including multi-touch and finger flick scrolling. Right now it's just a concept, but we're hoping to see this one become a reality sooner rather than later.[Via Yanko Design]
Bio-electronic implant seeks to restore partial sight
We've seen initiatives all over the globe created in an attempt to beat blindness, but researchers based at MIT are feeling fairly confident that their development is within a few years of being able to "restore partial sight to people who have slowly gone blind because of degenerative diseases of the retina." The bio-electronic implant, which is about the size of a pencil eraser, would actually sit behind the retina at the back of the eyeball, and images would be transmitted to the brain "via a connector the width of a human hair." As it stands, an FDA grant application is already in the works, and the scientists are hoping to have it implanted in an animal as early as this summer. Still, the solution only works for folks who "were once able to see and have partially intact optic nerve cells" -- those who were blind from birth or suffer from glaucoma are unfortunately ineligible for the procedure.[Thanks, Rusty]
UPenn scientists create replacement retina on a chip
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new silicon chip that could be "embedded directly into the eye and connected to the nerves that carry signals to the brain's visual cortex," reports New Scientist. The chip aims to help people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, which is the gradual death of one's retinal cells, those really useful bits of organic matter that convert light into nerve impulses for the brain to process. Previous attempts at solving this biological conundrum have often gone the route of using a video camera usually connected to a tiny computer to process the signal, which is then attached to the optic nerve. If Penn's research works, it would let this chip be directly implanted into the eye -- with a direct connection to the optic nerve -- removing the need for an external camera. Even better, this new version also mimics the way a healthy retina adjusts to light intensity, contrast, and even movement. The next step is to reducing the size and power consumption of the chip before clinical trials can get going.[Via New Scientist]
Implant to cure blindness?
We've run a few of these before, but if you think we're into otherwise unnecessary implantables, don't even get us started on implantables that enhance sensory perception, or restore senses where there were once none. The New Scientist has a writeup of a new kind of solar powered 1.5 millimeter x 15 micrometer retinal implant that could start restoring vision to the blind by using solar cells to trigger lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric actuators that stimulate optical neurotransmitters. Yeah, we slapped our foreheads too, it was so simple. You'll have Laxman Saggere of the University of Illinois at Chicago to thank when his invention is complete, though; we can't wait to give Stevie a peek -- the man wrote Songs in the Key of Life, can't he just get a peek?
