Smart Glove To Assist Blind Folks When They Shop For Groceries

We have plenty of smart devices in this day and age, and the smart glove is definitely one of them. In fact, it was earlier this year that we read about how Samsung filed a patent for a smart glove, and it remains to be seen as to when exactly a piece of hardware in that vein will arrive in the general market. Well, researchers over at Penn State have their own ideas on what a smart glove should look like – and work as, where this particular model intends to assist blind people when they shop at their local grocery store.

Just how does this particular smart glove work? Well, it will guide the wearer to the item in which the wearer has been looking for. This is made possible thanks to the presence of a camera as well as vibration motors located within it in various locations. The motors will vibrate at different strengths, which in turn informs the wearer as to the exact direction in which he or she ought to move toward. As for the camera, it will use visual recognition to recognize objects that are near, and will also be able to further guide the hand to the destination.

So far, initial experiments have been conducted where blind people used the device, and a new trial is in the pipeline which will hopefully improve on the existing technology as well as open up new doors as to where this particular smart glove can be used. [Press Release]

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: Science, Wearable Tech