[Nfbf-l] Will we be saying: BYE BYE to BRAILLE! THIS FINGER READER RING CAN READ BOOKS TO THE BLIND

[Alan Dicey]

Dear Friends,
I can hardly believe this!
Well, that is wrong, I take it back!
I can believe anything concerning Technology these days!
Simply incredible the times we are living in.
Things are well, just happening so fast!
As soon as one technology is developed, something else comes along.
With Best Regards,
God Bless,
Alan
Plantation, Florida

Researchers from MIT Media Labs are developing a wearable device that can 
read out printed text using a synthesized voice, helping the sight-impaired 
read books without the use of Braille.

Called the FingerReader, the ring-like device has a mounted camera for 
scanning text. Audio feedback comes in the form of a robot voice that sounds 
like it has a speech impediment. However, according to the research team's 
website, the device is "just a research prototype at this point," so audio 
feedback would be fixed if and when it becomes available to the mass market.

To help the sight-impaired read text more efficiently, the device has cues 
or "haptic feedback" to help blind readers maintain a straight scanning 
motion with their finger. It gives out a vibration signal when their finger 
veers away from the line of text, and does the same thing when they've 
reached the end and the start of every line of text.

 The device can't read the fine print in your contracts, but it can detect 
12-point printed text, which is ubiquitous enough when it comes to printed 
text. In an interview with TechCrunch, Roy Shilkrot, one of the researchers 
for the project, hopes that the device will help more than the visually 
impared. He said that the device is for people with "disability, ability, 
and superability" and hinted that it could be used to translate languages.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/fingerreader-h...

The team behind the FingerReader is said to be looking into miniaturization 
and features such as tethering to a PC or smartphone. If you want to see the 
device in action, check out the demo video below.

http://vimeo.com/86912300#at=31