Smartphone Software for Visually Impaired

September 30, 2013

A group of students from the Technion's Faculty of Computer Science spent six months developing Vision, a software program that enables the visually impaired to use smartphones. The unique application was developed as part of the “Yearly Programming Project” course. 

The application, which can be installed on any (android) smartphone, is designed to enable the user to use the phone's regular functions by informing the user which key he or she is pressing. Using the application, users may dial a number, know who is calling them, get the time, read text messages, and even know where they are located. The application also enables the user to set the alarm clock, know about missed calls, find contacts, and even send a distress signal in case of need. 

“As part of the course, we were given the freedom to choose a project to focus on. After much deliberation, we decided to develop something for the common good rather than for commercial purposes,” says Amit Yaffe, a co-developer of the application. “Our application is unique in the market in that it is free. Most applications that are currently available for the visually impaired are very expensive and most of them are not available in Hebrew.”

Prof. Yossi Gil, who supervised the students, summarized their work: “The uniqueness of the application the students developed is that it is designed for any android cell phone, it is available free of charge, and it requires no changes to the phone itself.”

Source: Excerpts of a press release from the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology

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