[Nfbk] FW: Technology update

Sat Jul 27 23:38:54 UTC 2013

Enjoy . John g.

From: Pat White [mailto:cpmwhitehouse at windstream.net] 
Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2013 11:01 PM
To: gregory.manuel at va.gov; 'John Glisson'; 'DanielL'; Jeff White; Sonya
Keefe
Subject: Technology update

This looks very interesting. I would like to be one of their students. Pat

Subject: Technology update

Visually Impaired Students Test Technology of the Future

Hand holding a Galaxy S4 with Visus Technology software displayed

Boston tech start-up developing groundbreaking technology for the blind

NEWTON, MA - For the past two weeks, a Boston-based tech start-up, Visus
Technology, Inc., with help from the Verizon Innovation Program., has been
testing a potentially life-altering interactive wireless system with a group
of severely visually impaired students attending a summer enrichment program
at the Carroll Center for the Blind. This technology, which is expected to
soon be ready for public use, will allow blind and visually impaired people
to recognize faces, determine colors, and navigate their travel with the
help of wireless technology.

A group of students attending a summer enrichment program at the Carroll
Center for the Blind has been introduced to the cutting edge technology
known as the Visus Visual Assist System, a hands-free, assistive aid
developed by Visus Technology, Inc. The solution takes advantage of
Verizon's 4G LTE network, and has been developed in collaboration with
Verizon's Innovation Center in Waltham.

Visus Technology's Visual Assist System is the first wireless mobile system
that provides access to a wide assortment of assistive applications,
allowing visually impaired people to become more fully engaged and
integrated into the classroom, workplace and society.

"Over the past two weeks, these kids have impacted the future of technology
as we prepare for product launch," according to Stephen J. McCormack, PhD
the Chairman and CEO of Visus Technology, Inc.

The students, who were introduced to the technology in the first week of the
summer program, demonstrated their new skills at their graduation held
Thursday, July 18 at the Carroll Center. While the music function was
immediately popular among the students, they quickly found that the color
recognition program would be helpful in coordinating wardrobe choices and
object recognition could distinguish household objects such as a container
of ketchup versus the mustard.

"I can recognize some colors," one visually impaired student said as he held
a phone's camera up to the tee-shirt he was wearing," but this lets me know
exactly what colors are on my shirt. It's not just blue - it also has yellow
lettering." Another student laughed when his phone announced that the shirt
he had selected to wear that day was 'magenta.' "I don't even know what that
color is," he noted.

"Visus technology, in combination with the Verizon Wireless network, could
completely change the lives of the visually impaired," Dr. McCormack
explained. "The meaning of the word 'visus' is the power of sight and we are
truly on the path toward recreating that experience for people without
vision.

Beginning last Monday (July 8) students at the Carroll Center for the Blind
were introduced to the Visus platform using Verizon's 4G LTE network on
Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones, provided by Samsung. Like most students their
age, they were well acquainted with smartphone technology and quickly
adapted to the assistive applications that were systematically added onto
their phones. The response was resoundingly positive from these enthusiastic
young people.

"I have seen few solutions that have the potential for changing the lives of
those who are blind or visually impaired as Visus Technology's," said Brian
Charlson, Carroll Center's director of technology. "While it does not
restore vision, it can provide many of the advantages of sight including
color identification, facial recognition and the reading of print all around
us. To do all of this and much more in a single solution is truly unique."

While these students were the first to try out the new system, Carroll
Center for the Blind President Joseph F. Abely noted that the applications
within the Visus Visual Assist System would have wide appeal among the
visually impaired population.

"More than 60 percent of the blind population are people over the age of
60," he explained. "I would imagine they would love to have this technology
in their hands. The Carroll Center for the Blind is all about giving newly
blind people the confidence and the tools they need to regain their
independence, so they can return to their community or the work place. The
Visus Technology Visual Assist System is a groundbreaking step in that
process."

About the Carroll Center for the Blind

The Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, MA serves the needs of blind and
visually-impaired persons by providing rehabilitation, skills training, and
educational opportunities to achieve independence, self-sufficiency, and
self-fulfillment and by educating the public regarding the potential of
persons who are blind and visually-impaired. For more information, please
visit: <http://www.carroll.org/> www.carroll.org

About Visus Technology, Inc.

Visus is focused on the way visually impaired people will communicate,
interact and 'see' through the Visus Visual Assist System. The company's
mission is to enhance life and benefit the integration of visually impaired
people into society. Visus' proprietary system provides a powerful
technology to answer the essential needs of the visually impaired.

For more information, please visit the Visus website at
<http://www.visustech.com/> www.visustech.com Visus and the Visus Visual
Assist System are trademarks of Visus Technology, Inc.

About the Verizon Innovation Program

Verizon established its Innovation Program to encourage collaboration and
help advance the 4G LTE ecosystem. The company's LTE Innovation Center on
Waltham, MA and its Innovation Center in San Francisco, CA, were created to
inspire, enable and develop non-traditional devices, services and
applications that take advantage of Verizon Wireless' industry-leading
wireless networks. Through the Innovation Program, Verizon seeks to expand
the possibilities of 4G LTE by working with diverse companies, from
start-ups to established players, in industries representing a broad range
of verticals.

For More Information

For more information, read the Boston Globe Article,
<http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/07/21/for-blind-kids-smartphone-sh
ows-way/RCxI74zW3ENnpMtXP02oNL/story.html> Software helps the blind see -
via smartphones.

Originally Posted on
<http://carroll.org/2013/07/22/visually-impaired-students-test-technology-of
-the-future> July 22, 2013

Related articles can be found in  <http://carroll.org/category/blog/> Blog,
<http://carroll.org/category/news/> News,
<http://carroll.org/category/technology/> Technology News and Events.

 <http://carroll.org/2013/07/19/the-carroll-society-awards-teaser-video>
Previous post in category

<http://carroll.org/2013/07/23/brian-charlson-honored-at-acb-national-confer
ence> Next post in category

.          

.          

Related Posts

1.
<http://carroll.org/2008/09/09/workshop-for-paraprofessionals-working-with-s
tudents-who-are-blind-or-visually-impaired> Workshop for Paraprofessionals -
Working with Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired

2.        <http://carroll.org/services/> Services for the Blind and Visually
Impaired

3.        <http://carroll.org/about/> About Us: Help and Services for the
Blind and Visually Impaired

4.
<http://carroll.org/2012/11/02/landmark-court-ruling-to-benefit-the-blind-an
d-visually-impaired> Landmark Court Ruling to Benefit the Blind and Visually
Impaired

5.
<http://carroll.org/2010/09/16/visually-impaired-dance-troupe-from-india-vis
it-carroll-center> Visually Impaired Dance Troupe from India Visit Carroll
Center

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