I am quite sure that many of us have already heard of this particularly common phrase, “There’s an app for that.” Sure, that might be true and your smartphone is a ringing endorsement (pun not intended) for such a saying, but do bear in mind that not everyone is able to use the smartphone as intended to, and visually impaired folks happen to fall under this particular category. Innovators and entrepreneurs from Visus Technology figured out that they need to do something about this situation, coming up with a system which will be able to assist visually impaired and blind people “see” things from a new perspective thanks to the use of wireless technology.
Known as the Visus Visual Assist system, trials of it happened last month, involving a bunch of middle-school aged students in a summer enrichment program over at the world-renowned Carroll Center for the Blind. Each of these students were equipped with a Samsung smartphone, where they were then trained on using the Visus app, before being sent out to see just how helpful this app is. The Visus Visual Assist system was developed in collaboration with the Verizon Innovation Program, and hopefully, it will hit the market pretty soon, letting blind and visually-impaired people recognize faces, determine colors, and navigate their travel. Check out feedback from the students and teachers in the video above, and be encouraged. [Press Release]
Filed in . Read more about Verizon.