The School of Computing at the National University of Singapore has introduced AiSee, an affordable wearable assistive device that helps visually impaired individuals “see” objects around them with the aid of artificial intelligence. AiSee identifies objects using AI and provides additional information when queried by the user. Unlike most wearable assistive devices that require smartphone pairing, AiSee operates as an independent system without the need for any additional devices.
Associate Professor Suranga Nanayakkara from the NUS Computing Department of Information Systems and Analytics, the lead researcher of the AiSee Project, shared insights about the device: “With AiSee, our goal is to empower users through a more natural interaction. By following a human-centered design process, we
found reasons to question the typical approach of using AI-powered glasses with a camera. People with visual impairments may be reluctant to wear glasses to avoid stigma. Therefore, we propose an alternative hardware solution that includes a discreet bone- conduction headset.”
The user simply needs to hold an object and activate the built-in camera to capture its image. AiSee will identify the object using artificial intelligence and provide additional details upon request.
https://readwrite.com/wearable-lets-visually-impaired-users-see-objects-through-ai-mapping/