Watch: How a new device helps blind people see their surroundings

Watch: How a new device helps blind people see their surroundings
By Anastassia Gliadkovskaya

A new device, known as Feel The View, helps blind passengers experience scenery while travelling.

A new device, known as Feel The View, helps blind passengers experience scenery while travelling.

The panel is fixed to a window, and a camera inside the device takes pictures of the view. A shape detection algorithm then analyses the picture and converts the light into nano vibrations, which are then transmitted to different touchable surfaces for the user.

The more the light, the higher the vibration and a device tester, Antonio Bruno, said the device is effective: "After a bit of training, it conveys certain emotions because the vibration penetrates through the nerve endings of the fingertips in a deeper way than what you can experience with other systems."

He said, "by giving back the variations of intensities of light and dark, this device gives you the idea of how complex the shape of a cloud can be which cannot be compared to well known geometrical shapes."

The device, created through a collaboration between Ford and the Aedo Project, could go on sale next year for under 100 euros.

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