Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers are currently working on a device designed to help people with vision impairment read.
The audio reading device comes in the form of a ring called the FingerReader, which was created through 3D-printing to fit on the user's finger, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The ring includes a tiny camera capable of scanning text, as well as a synthesized voice that reads words aloud and can translate books, restaurant menus and materials that people may need throughout the day.
The FingerReader also features special software that tracks finger movement, identifies words and processes information. Roy Shilkrot, an MIT researcher who is working on the device, said it also includes vibration motors that let the user know when he/she is off the script.
Jerry Berrier, who was born blind, said the device could be a great tool for people who can't see, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Berrier works for the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass., and is responsible for training and evaluating people for a federal program that sells technology to low-income people who can't see or hear.
"Everywhere we go, for folks who are sighted, there are things that inform us about the products that we are about to interact with," he said. "I wanna be able to interact with those same products, regardless of how I have to do it."
It took three years for the device to be developed, and Shilkrot said it will take more time before it is ready to be sold.
The prototype for FingerReader is currently only capable of reading words as small as 12 point text, Newstalk 106-108 fm reported. However, Shilkrot and Joy Huber are looking to improve the ring so it could eventually translate texts to other lanugages.
The FingerReader is capable of reading papers, newspapers, magazines, books and computer screens, but is unable to read texts on touch screens, which Shilkrot said can be solved by disabling the touch-screen function.
He added that developers are confident that they will be able to sell the ring at an affordable price, which has yet to be determined. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 11.2 million people in the U.S. are vision impaired. Berrier said making the FingerReader affordable will help vision impaired people find a way to work in today's information-based economy.
"Any tool that we can get that gives us better access to printed material helps us to live fuller, richer, more productive lives," Berrier said.
