K-NFB Reader

Assistive devices designed to help the visually impaired abound this week. A new device called the K-NFB reader can scan a document and read it aloud. The device doubles as a cell phone and is the result of a collaboration between Ray Kurzweil and the National Federation for the Blind. The device has been on the market for a few months, but offers users the opportunity to lead a more independent life. The device works only with type, but it also stores information for later download into a Braille note-taker. The K-NFB reader runs about $1,500.

Ocean Blue Software has developed a vision-assistance technology that will work in conjunction with digital televisions and set-top boxes to read screen text aloud. The system is designed to help read device menus and can be incorporated into other electronic devices. The technology also allows the user to customize menu displays with different colors and text sizes to assist those with low vision.

If you’re looking for some visual assistance that’s a little more … out of the ordinary … try out the BrainPort, a system from technology startup Wicab, that encodes visual information and sends it directly to the user’s visual cortex via a sensor pad the user holds on his (or her) tongue. The complete system involves a small camera mounted on a pair of sunglasses. The camera is connected to a sensor pad that contains several hundred electrodes that pulsate according to how much light is being taken in by the camera. The brain’s visual cortex picks up the pulses and decodes them as it would information captured by normal eyesight. Users say that with some practice, they can make out shapes and in some cases, can read signs.

The BrainPort is still in the testing phase at Wicab and a few select research locations around the country. The BrainPort device has not been submitted to the FDA for approval, so you’re not likely to be seeing this at the new Sharper Image anytime soon.