Horus, Digital Personal Assistant Specially For Blind People
Horus is a technological device wearable which serves as a personal guide for people with visual impairments. Just to give you an idea, this device is like Google Glass for the visually impaired.
The presence of this device is commendable considering that there are millions of people with visual impairments who struggle to perform daily tasks, even for simple—according to normal people—even though, such as reading and crossing the street.
Saverio Murgia and Luca Nardelli, founders of Eyra, the Swiss artificial intelligence (AI) company that made Horus, were inspired to develop this technology after meeting a blind man asking for help at a bus stop. They listened to him explain the difficulties he often encountered due to the absence of voice signals and the lack of road signs. Saverio and Luca then realized that technology could be applied to help people like this.
Basically, Horus is a headset equipped with a camera. It connects to a device the size of smartphone which can be put in a shirt or pants pocket. Horus consists of two parts; the first is the RST, which contains the visual and balance sensors, the second is the battery and the processor.
The camera functions to observe and analyze the environment by sending images to the processor. This information is then translated into an audio form that can be heard by the user. Text reader and facial recognition are two of the features this device has. The more often Horus is used, the more his intelligence increases.
Inside the processor is a graphics processing unit, and as a smart device, Horus will learn and absorb any information it gets, starting with recognizing who and what he “sees”. By pressing a button, Horus can describe the environment around him, from faces, furniture, to other objects.
Different from earphones, Horus utilizes the bone conduction system to conduct sound (conduction of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull). This means that audio is not transmitted through the ear canal, but directly stimulates the tiny earbones, and can only be heard by the user without interference, even in noisy rooms. If the user suffers from hearing loss as well, Horus can be connected to the hearing aid he is wearing.
Currently Horus is available in Italian, Japanese, and English, but Eyra promised to develop it so that this device can “speak” in various languages. To be able to have Horus, you must first fill out a waiting list through the site webher, while on sale on line expected to start next year.
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