Greetings,

        Two interesting things about this posting...

1. The software is free for download: really, from where?  I'd love to see
it.

2. A built in color identifier?  Really?  You mean I can download this
software, purchase a camera and have a color identifier?  Cool!

John


> -----Original Message-----
> From: VICUG-L: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Kelly Pierce
> Sent: Saturday, December 19, 1998 6:38 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: tech: seeing eye software
>
>
> For those without mail readers that offer clickable url's,
> such as Pine
> 4.0 or greater, here's Peter Meijer's article about the
> software that he
> talked about in a post a few weeks ago.
>
> kelly=20
>
> from Wired News
>
>   =20
>    Seeing-Eye Software
>    by Kristen Philipkoski=20
>    3:00 a.m.  24.Nov.98.PST
>    A new software program aims to help people see with their ears.
>   =20
>    Peter Meijer, of the Philips Research Laboratories in the
> Netherlands,
>    built Voice Learning Edition software to translate video into
>    high-definition stereo sound in close to real time.
>   =20
>    Voice requires the user to learn a whole new language of subtle
>    sounds. Noises change pitch and resonance if a color is bright or a
>    building is close, so the user must be able to distinguish between
>    nuances of sound.
>   =20
>    Meijer set up an online program for the blind to help him evaluate
>    Voice. He also gets feedback from an evaluation project at the
>    Institute for Innovative Blind Navigation.
>   =20
>    "Talking to blind users directly is very valuable [in
> order] to guide
>    further technical progress," he said. But the Internet
> offered Meijer
>    a whole new approach to testing tools for the blind.
>   =20
>    "In the past, we first had to convince institutions for
> the blind that
>    the proposed approach could be interesting, which often led only to
>    discussing opinions about what needs and interests the blind may
>    have," he said. "Today, we can communicate directly with potential
>    blind users, and let them decide ... whether they are interested."
>   =20
>    Based on the feedback, Meijer said he continuously
> improves the system
>    and is now working to help users understand Voice's language.
>   =20
>    Nolan Crabb, a spokesman for the American Council of the
> Blind, said
>    he believes Voice is well-intended, but he isn't convinced of its
>    practicality.
>   =20
>    "This would be better for people who lose their sight than
> for people
>    who were blind always," said Crabb, who was born blind. He
> added that
>    walking around with headphones could be dangerous for blind people.
>   =20
>    "You still need a lot of your hearing to know what the
> world is doing
>    around you, to hear things like traffic, construction," he said.
>   =20
>    In 1993, Meijer came out with the prototype for Voice -- a
>    helmet-like, mono-sound piece of hardware. It never went into
>    production.
>   =20
>    The latest version, released in January, functions on Windows and
>    requires a PC camera, a Pentium processor, and stereo headphones.
>    While the accessories may seem prohibitive, the software is free to
>    download.
>    In March, Meijer added color identification to the system, which
>    already featured zoom, inverse video, and slow and fast motion. An
>    open interface for third-party developers was developed in
> September.
>   =20
>    It remains to be seen how functional Voice is for most people.
>   =20
>    "There could be important bottlenecks in hearing, brain processing,
>    and brain plasticity, but also in motivation during
> training, Meijer
>    said. "Results may depend on whether one is congenitally blind or
>    became blind later in life," he said. "But sometimes simple things
>    like color detection or finding a bright window may turn out to be
>    useful. It doesn't have to be full-fledged vision to have
> some merit."
>   =20
>    Crabb said, "The day we can use talking or brailled information and
>    GPS [Global Positioning Satellite] to give us an idea of
> where we are,
>    then we will have achieved some incredible steps
> forward.... Any kind
>    of increased mobility can be a good thing."
>
>    Copyright =A9 1994-98 Wired Digital Inc. All rights reserved.
>
>
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>


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html