TORONTO – Microsoft may be venturing into the world of wearable technology, with a device aimed at improving visually impaired users’ lives.
Accoridng to a report from the Sunday Times, the device works by bouncing information off of sensors found on objects, such as a staircase, to a reciever in the headband. The information is then relayed to the user using audio.
“When they glance at an object of interest, they receive instructions and updates relayed through an earpiece,” read the report, published this week.
The Times said the device is currently being tested in the British town Reading, where it helps visually impaired users navigate staircases and escalators around one of the country’s busiest commuter stations.
READ MORE: Google teams up with Novartis on contact lens glucose monitor
Dubbed the “Alice Band,” the device is part of a project Microsoft has been working on with the Guide Dogs for the Blind. The project aims to develop a more detailed understanding of what daily life is like for blind and partially sighted people.
In 2012, Guide Dogs released a concept video that may provide some insight into how the Alice Band would work. The video documents a blind man planning a day trip around London using a tablet, receiving audio cues for directions.
The device would be Microsoft’s first foray into wearables.
- Invasive strep: ‘Don’t wait’ to seek care, N.S. woman warns on long road to recovery
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- ‘Super lice’ are becoming more resistant to chemical shampoos. What to use instead
- Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec
Comments