Technologies Empowering Independence for Those with Low Vision

According to the CDC, 12 million Americans over the age of 40 have vision impairment, including 1 million who are blind. These numbers are expected to double by 2050 as the population ages and chronic diseases that can lead to vision loss increase.

Vision impairment makes it difficult to navigate activities of daily living such as working,  reading, and maneuvering in unfamiliar environments, often resulting in decreased independence and lower quality of life.

A wide range of exciting technologies are transforming the lives of those who are blind or have low vision, enhancing their quality of life, and empowering them to navigate and interact with the world around them with confidence. These innovative assistive technologies are leading the way in providing greater accessibility for the visually impaired — increasing mobility, boosting independence, as well as enhancing access to education and employer opportunities.

Audio Labelers

Audio Labelers are unique scanning devices that allow people who are blind or visually impaired to more easily identify and locate items through spoken sound. The handheld devices typically come with a microphone, speaker, and special labels. The user records an audio label for each item in their environment using the microphone and then affixes the label for later identification using the scanning feature and provided speaker to playback the initially recorded sound. 

Whether at home or in the classroom and workplace, audio labelers help to increase mobility and provide further opportunities for independence in unfamiliar environments 

Vision Enhancement Devices

Digital vision enhancement technologies like those from eSight by Gentex Corporation are designed to help people living with visual impairments stay on the go while performing the tasks of daily living. A combination of cameras and lenses project real-time video onto two high-resolution, near-to-eye screens for full binocular vision. This makes it significantly easier for those with central vision loss to carry out their daily responsibilities, interact with their loved ones more freely, and travel to their favorite places with greater independence.

Today, innovative vision enhancement technology has evolved into lightweight, comfortable devices that provide a wider field of view and can easily adapt to different environments.

Braille Keyboards and Displays

Braille keyboards and Braille displays are two primary devices that make it possible for the visually impaired to read and write text independently. 

Braille keyboards are specially designed keyboards that use certain keys to represent each braille dot in a cell. This allows visually impaired and blind people who rely on Braille to communicate and type just as people do on non-Braille keyboards.

Braille displays are portable electronic devices that lower and raise different combinations of pins electronically to display text as braille when connected to a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The display connects to these devices via USB or Bluetooth and continually refreshes to respond to changes shown on the screen as a user moves around a cursor.

By translating screen content into tactile Braille text, Braille displays allow visually impaired users to browse websites, read emails, stream videos, and more.

AI Robot Guides

New prototypes are being developed of AI-powered robot guide dogs for the visually impaired by the University of Glasgow, the Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland, and the Forth Valley Sensory Centre. The robots, currently known as “Roboguides” have a series of sophisticated sensors to help detect obstructions in their environment and assist with unfamiliar environment navigation. Roboguides also use the artificial intelligence of Large Language Models (LLM) to respond to user questions with verbal responses, commenting on wayfinding navigation and providing information on important points of interest. 

Innovative assistive technologies available today are improving the quality of life and transforming accessibility for the millions of people experiencing the challenges of living with blindness or vision impairment. Technologies like audio labelers, smart eyewear, and Braille keyboards and displays empower the visually impaired to navigate the world around them with greater ease and independence.