The Therapeutic Research Foundation said it’s working with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh to improve upon “clumsy and archaic” navigation systems for people with poor vision or blindness.
The nonprofit TRF said it’s developed a proprietary Immersive Navigational Informatics System, which builds and communicates a description of a virtual environment to the user, who can interact further through speech-recognition software.
The hope is that the system could decrease health expenditures for those with blindness and better their chances of finding jobs.
The National Science Foundation sponsors the Quality of Life Technology Center (QoLTC) at the two universities, and TRF said it’s raising additional money to finalize its research. The foundation said the Carnegie and Pittsburgh schools have expertise in computer vision, perception and awareness, person mobility and human-system interaction.
QoLTC has previously developed a system of sensors that connects directional signs inside buildings with walking canes as well as a wearable camera that converts recorded views into electrical signals the user feels on his tongue and interprets as seen images.
Image credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net
