A lot of us take our sight for granted, something that we’re sure many who lose their sight later in life can attest to. However thanks to technology, the visually impaired no longer have to be “blind”. One such app that is helping people who are visually impaired is Envision. The app relies on AI to help read and analyze its surroundings, and tells the user what it sees.
The problem with your typical object recognition technology is that it does not understand context. However with the use of AI, Envision’s app will be able to understand scenes and the environment, thus better relaying that information to the user. According to the app’s description, “Envision enables people with visual impairment to live more independently. With Envision, visually impaired users can shop in supermarkets, use public transport, read menu cards in restaurants, recognise their friends, find their belongings and so much more, all on their own.”
“Envision can process an image an extract the information user is looking for. It can read texts from any surface accurately and quickly.” Note that Envision had actually previously been launched for iOS, but now it looks like it has found its way onto Android. As Android Police notes, the iOS version came with in-app subscriptions which the Android version seems to be lacking, at least for now.
That being said, Envision is definitely not the first of its kind. Other companies such as Microsoft and Google have also worked on creating apps that help the blind “see” the world around them.