Microsoft has unveiled a groundbreaking application called Seeing AI that is designed to aid individuals with low vision. Built on Azure AI technology, the app provides audio descriptions of the world around its users. Released during the Microsoft Ability Summit, Seeing AI is now available for both Android and Apple devices, focusing on enhancing accessibility and ease of life for those who are visually impaired.
The app utilizes the power of Azure AI to enable users to experience the world in a more accessible manner. Though AI technology typically demands high computing power often reserved for computers or specific mobile devices with dedicated AI chips, Seeing AI bypasses these limitations by leveraging cloud computing resources to process user prompts.
Seeing AI is equipped with numerous features aimed at facilitating the daily activities of users with low vision:
- Text-to-Speech: The app provides auditory reading of text captured by the camera. It operates in real-time for shorter texts, while longer documents are processed and read aloud after being photographed.
- Bar Code Reader: It recognizes products via their unique UPC codes and provides relevant information to the user.
- Scene Description: The app audibly describes the user’s surroundings, placing emphasis on the closest objects.
- Person Identification: The app can identify and describe people, including their facial expressions.
- Currency Recognition: It is capable of recognizing different currency bills from 17 countries.
- Color Detection: The app identifies colors in the center of the user’s camera view.
- Handwriting Conversion: It can translate handwritten notes into text.
- Brightness Levels: The app signals brightness with a tone that varies in pitch.
The performance of Seeing AI in identifying and describing objects is impressive, though it may not be flawless in every instance. The app excels in recognizing common items such as a shaving razor within a can, but may struggle with more complex or less common items, such as a coin sorter. Text recognition is generally accurate, though it may encounter difficulties with specialized texts such as mathematical or chemical notations.
The Microsoft Seeing AI app is readily available for download from the Android and Apple app stores. For those who need additional assistance, products like lighted magnifiers are also recommended and can be found online.
By making use of advanced Azure AI capabilities, Seeing AI is setting a new standard for assistive technology, providing invaluable support to individuals with low vision and helping them to engage more fully with the world around them.
