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Thursday, July 13, 2017

Microsoft’s New App Tells Visually Impaired People What’s in Front of Them

July 13, 2017 - Seeing AI combines the phone’s camera and artificial intelligence to identify places, objects and people. The app then announces what it sees so people who are blind or visually impaired will know what is in front of them.

article by CAROLYN NICANDER MOHR for The Wonder of Tech! / JULY 13, 2017
Using the app, people can hear a description of what is in front of them. The app’s interpretation of what it’s seeing is quite sophisticated, it can recognize emotions. It won’t just say that someone is smiling, it will tell you the person is happy. Or surprised. Or angry.

Users can take Seeing AI shopping. The app can read barcodes so people can know whether a can is soup or dog food. It will also soon be able to identify currency so users know whether they are handing over a bill that’s worth $20 versus $1.

Diners at restaurants can use Seeing AI to read menus. The app can read both food choices and prices.

Pedestrians can use the app to read signs and get directions, though the app warns against using it for navigation.

One of the more impressive features of Seeing AI is a document scanner. The app can read documents aloud and even help the user center the document on the screen.

The app looks for the edges of the document so it knows that it’s reading the entire text. After all, a user could get into trouble if the word “not” were cut off in the margins.

The app can also identify images in other apps. When you are using another app, tap the Share icon and choose “Recognize with Seeing AI.” The app can identify what is in the images as if it were a scene in front of you.

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The below video from Microsoft shows what Seeing AI can do:
YouTube published by Microsoft July 12, 2017

source: The Wonder of Tech https://www.wonderoftech.com/microsoft-seeing-ai/

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