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Ed Yeates Reporting People who are blind got a taste today of a revolutionary new portable device that takes a picture, then reads aloud any printed material, almost anywhere.
Most of us walk down a street, reading signs, newspapers, business reports, handouts. Well now, blind people can do the same by just pulling a portable device out of their pocket, a purse or a briefcase.
Karl Smith: "I typically hold the machine in this hand, hold the printed page out to about here, and depending on how big it is, and just take a picture."
The device audibly tells Karl Smith where the borders or edges of the printed material are and when the picture is taken. It processes the text in seconds, then reads it aloud.
Karl Smith, National Federation of the Blind: "It has now given me the opportunity to carry with me a pocket-sized device that can now read information to me, independently, without having to ask for things."
The Federation of the Blind, which developed the device, has 400 machines out now being tested experimentally by those called pioneer readers. And they're really challenging the system.
Gary Wunder, National Federation of the Blind: "People who are counting carbohydrates want to know in their packages how many carbs something has or how many protein grams."
How about a mother wanting to cook a recipe?
Karl Smith: "And she said, ‘How about we do blackberry muffins,' and she took the box, shot an image of that blackberry muffin box and read the recipe and made the muffins."
We're talking about hundreds and hundreds of applications. For example, we take for granted going into a restaurant and reading a menu. But what if you can't see it? Gary Wunder now hears it!
The Federation of the Blind expects to release the machine on the market soon, at a cost of about $3400.
