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arXiv · 2405.07606

AIris: An AI-powered Wearable Assistive Device for the Visually Impaired

Abstract

Assistive technologies for the visually impaired have evolved to facilitate interaction with a complex and dynamic world. In this paper, we introduce AIris, an AI-powered wearable device that provides environmental awareness and interaction capabilities to visually impaired users. AIris combines a sophisticated camera mounted on eyewear with a natural language processing interface, enabling users to receive real-time auditory descriptions of their surroundings. We have created a functional prototype system that operates effectively in real-world conditions. AIris demonstrates the ability to accurately identify objects and interpret scenes, providing users with a sense of spatial awareness previously unattainable with traditional assistive devices. The system is designed to be cost-effective and user-friendly, supporting general and specialized tasks: face recognition, scene description, text reading, object recognition, money counting, note-taking, and barcode scanning. AIris marks a transformative step, bringing AI enhancements to assistive technology, enabling rich interactions with a human-like feel.

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Dionysia Danai Brilli, Evangelos Georgaras, Stefania Tsilivaki, Nikos Melanitis, Konstantina Nikita. 2024-05-13. AIris: An AI-powered Wearable Assistive Device for the Visually Impaired. https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.07606

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