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
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