Assistive technology to help those who are blind or severely sight impaired has, for

several decades, been dogged by a number of critical issues.

Firstly, there has traditionally been an overwhelming emphasis on ICT tasks such as
reading or using a computer, rather than helping those with vision loss better interpret
real-world scenes.

Portability and convenience remain a second major problem and, even though many
such issues have been significantly mitigated by the emergence of the smartphone over
the past ten years, blind people have long been crying out for solutions that are more
seamlessly integrated and wearable.

With this in mind, what is particularly notable about ViSio’s AI-powered glasses, which
were released across seven major international markets last month, including the U.S.
and U.K., is that they are specifically designed for those with profound sight loss.

This is because, rather than seeking to enhance any remaining areas of vision, the
glasses convey information to the wearer via speech output.

Of course, when it comes to simply reading text, be it near or at distance, the glasses
match and even surpass rival wearable solutions like the OrCam MyEye Pro, or
Microsoft’s phone-based Seeing AI app, but offer so much more besides.

The device can provide audio scene descriptions, such as the presence of a tree and a
park bench, recognize and announce the pre-programmed faces of friends and family
and provides both color and object recognition.

What’s more, the Envision glasses have entirely revolutionized the practice of a blind
individual receiving sighted guidance from another person through its bespoke “ally”
app.

The system enables nominated friends and family, when called upon by the wearer, to
remotely view what the glasses’ camera is pointing at. The interaction takes place over
Wi-Fi or mobile data, meaning that assistance can be provided across continents if need
be!

A similar service currently exists through the Be My Eyes mobile app but, as Envision’s
Commercial Director Pierre Kegels explains, what Envision offers its users is also very
different.

Friends or family of someone who is blind can download a free app to their phone and
then, that blind person can add people to their trusted contacts list.
There are so many situations where a user might prefer to have the help of friends and
family instead of calling a volunteer, who could be anywhere in the world – a stranger

The provision of assistance is rendered further seamless through the use of the camera
on the glasses themselves, rather than having to film with a smartphone.

ViSio Glasses are AI for your eye. They use the power of speech to make everyday life
more accessible for any visual impairment.

Scan Text: Turn any text into speech with Scan Text. Be it handwritten notes, books or
your favourite recipes. In over 60 languages.

Instant Text: Read any short text that’s in front of you with Instant Text. Find everything
from house numbers, the products you love or even your favorite vinyl.

Scene Description: Get detailed scene descriptions anywhere. So you know what’s
around, every step of the way.

Face Recignition: Find your colleagues or friends in an instant, with Face Recognition.
Let’s get those conversations started.

Find missing items in no time with

Object Recognition
Sort laundry easily with
Color Detection
Check if the lamp is turned on with
Light Detection
Dive into that book you want to read with
Batch Scan
Share the information you come across with
Export Text
Assistive technology products can cover a much larger market for example people with
reading disabilities such as the 700m people with dyslexia.