Improving the quality of life for the visually impaired (Part 1)

Today's modern society is pushing technology to help those with disabilities. Here is a brief look at some examples of how technology is attempting to improve the lives of those with visual impairments.

First, we have OrCam, which was designed to improve visual impairment through the use of a small camera linked to a wearable computer. The device can read text, recognise faces and identify certain objects. 

The device conveys text-to-speech output and audio descriptions of objects. This enables visually impaired users to become more aware and secure in their environments. One of the difficulties with such systems, is differentiating between useful and non useful information.

One of the disadvantages of this device is the requirement of finger-pointing, which is used to control what the device is monitoring. This may be suitable for users with minor visual impairments, however for users who are unable to see objects, finger-pointing is not possible.