4 Indian Tech Breakthroughs to Empower the Visually Impaired

India is home to 15 mn visually challenged individuals, of the total 37 mn across the globe. In fact, India has the world’s largest blind population. Providing optimal healthcare, education, and employment to the people with visual impairments is a huge challenge for the government. Many Indian companies are joining the cause and developing products to foster independent living and mobility in the visually challenged. We look at 4 Indian innovations that stand out in making life simpler for blind people and can change the way they move around and navigate their world:

1. SmartCane

Individuals with visual impairments typically rely on white canes to navigate their way. However, the traditional cane has a number of limitations and can only help a blind person detect obstacles on the ground and up to a very small range. Hence, oftentimes blind individuals collide with protruding branches, parked vehicles, etc, which considerably restricts their mobility.

To address this issue, students and fellows at IIT-Delhi decided to give a makeover to the traditional white cane and developed the SmartCane device, which is an electronic travel aid that fits on the top fold of the white cane. The device uses ultrasonic waves to enable users to detect any above-the-knee obstruction from a distance of 3 meters. The device then vibrates to alert the user about any obstruction. It also starts beeping and the beep gets louder when the user gets closer to the obstacle.

The best part is that the device only costs Rs 3,000. It has a rechargeable battery and comes with a charger.

2. Goggles for Blind

Another powerful innovation that can truly transform how the blind people travel is the goggles for the visually impaired. Developed by Kunal Bhat, an employee with Tech Mahindra, the goggles will help the user form a three dimensional mental image of the surroundings, helping them to anticipate obstacles much earlier than the white cane.

The goggles have been paired with a smartphone which has a specialized smart glass. The smart goggles work on the information received wirelessly through this smartphone’s camera. The camera scans the user’s environment and analyses the potential object of collision using algorithms and passes the information to the smart goggles. The glass is equipped with haptic feedback and gives the user a “feel” of how the world in a radius of 5ft is organized around him or her through a vibration.

Tech Mahindra is currently running a pilot along with two involuntary organizations in Bengaluru. Around six visually impaired people from non-governmental organizations have also volunteered to be a part of the user trials.

The next version of the goggles is expected to have features like audio feedback, context-sensitive analysis, location and direction feedback, cloud-based analysis, collective intelligence and inter-device communication.

3. Lechal Footwear

Although not solely targeted at individuals with visual impairments, the world’s first interactive haptic footwear developed by an India-based company Ducere Technologies can significantly increase the mobility for a blind person. In fact, called as Lechal, the footwear was initially conceived by Krispian Lawrence and Anirudh Sharma, graduates of the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology respectively, as a solution to help the visually impaired navigate their worlds better.

The footwear uses the technology of touch or haptics to guide the wearer by vibrating. It uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the user’s smartphone via an app. Using GPS the app determines the directions and then communicates with users via gentle vibratory responses or haptic feedback to guide them which turn they should take to reach their destination.

Since Lechal’s genesis lies in using haptic technology to help the visually-challenged, there are several elements built in to the design that retain that legacy. For example, the app responds to audio commands. Another key feature is that users can control their entire Lechal experience through the volume buttons on their smartphones.

The company has also created the Lechal Initiative under which a part of the proceeds from the sale of every pair of Lechal footwear sold will be used to subsidize the footwear for someone who is visually challenged. The company has tied up with L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad to make this a reality.

4. SimplEye

Although smartphones have become widely available for the masses, they still remain inaccessible to the visually impaired. SimplEye, an accessibility app for the visually impaired, is aimed at addressing this challenge. Developed by a Delhi-based start-up Kriyate Design Solutions, the app helps individuals with visual impairments to use smartphones with the help of sound, vibration and tactile accessories. The app uses touch gestures on the phone screen as the input method and gives voice output of content on the screen as output. The app ensures the screen has one element at a time, and a voice narrates which element is on the screen. The app enables simple and touch-anywhere gestures that allow users to easily use the interface without the need for finding buttons. With the app, users can make gestures anywhere on the screen, independent of location.

The app also supports Braille typing functionality. The app has mapped 6 pins of Braille to areas on touchscreen. To type a message, a user needs to touch the respective areas to type the character in Braille. For example, to type "a", the user touches box 1. To type "b", user touches box 1 and 2 and so on. As each box has a respective tone, the user gets the feedback of the box he is touching. Once the character is typed, the app says it aloud, so that the user can verify.

The next version of the app is expected to include functionalities like image recognition, location sharing, and color identification. SimplEye app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.