Microsoft app helps blind people 'see' the world with AI

From Engadget - July 12, 2017

Point your phone camera at a friend and it will tell you who they are. Aim it toward a short piece of text such as a name badge or room number and it will speak it instantly -- a marked step up from the optical character recognition (OCR) technology of yore. Plus, it guides the user into capturing the object in question correctly, telling them to move the camera left or right to get the target in shot.

The app also recognizes currency, identifies products via their barcodes and, through an experimental feature, can describe entire scenes, such as a man walking a dog or food cooking on a stove. Basic tasks can be carried out directly within the app, without the need for an internet connection. It's currently available to download for free in the US on iOS, but there's no indication when it will come to other platforms or countries.


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