A new tech is being developed that would allow people with reduced vision to see using smartphones.
Scientists at the University of Lincoln, in the United Kingdom, are using the funding that they have received through a Google Faculty Research Award to come up with a new type of mobile technology that would allow people who have reduced vision to be able to see using smartphones or tablets.
The goal is to make it easier for these individuals to navigate indoor environments that are unfamiliar.
The Lincoln Center for Autonomous Systems now has a team at work on assistive tech that will be using mobile technology for color and depth sensing through smartphones and tablets, in conjunction with localization and 3D mapping, object recognition, and navigation, to help the visually impaired. The goal is to come up with an interface that will effectively relay information about the surrounding environment to users by way of sounds, vibrations, or spoken words.
This will take a common form of mobile technology and make it into an important assistive device.
According to the leader of the project, Dr. Nicola Bellotto, “This project will build on our previous research to create an interface that can be used to help people with visual impairments.” Dr. Bellotto is an expert on human-centered robotics and machine perception from the School of Computer Science at Lincoln.
He has pointed out that while there are many different types of visual aids currently available – from wearable sensors and cameras to guide dogs – each of them come with their own range of usability and acceptability drawbacks. That said, he added that “If people were able to use technology embedded in devices such as smartphones, it would not require them to wear extra equipment which could make them feel self-conscious.”
There are already certain mobile apps that exist that are meant to help users to be able to recognize the layout of a place or to identify an object, but the team at Lincoln is hoping to create something that reaches far beyond the current products. They want to use mobile technology that is specifically relevant to the visually impaired user.
When looking for jobs, the use of smartphones and tablets is giving graduates a new advantage.
Another graduating class has just made its way out the door of colleges and universities and is now on the hunt for employment, and the more those graduates use mobile technology, the greater their job hunting opportunities appear to be.
This is good news, as graduates are starting off in the worst financial situations, ever.
Among his year’s graduating class, 71 percent have an average student loan debt of $35,000, according to Edvisors. Furthermore among all of those who have graduated, the skills that they have on their resumes are adequate enough that only 11 percent of business leaders feel that those individuals are fully prepared for the workplace. That data is from a study conducted by Gallup/Lumina. Fortunately, mobile technology appears to be helping these former students to be able to improve their abilities to find jobs and to appeal to employers.
Mobile technology is helping in several ways, including online career coaching for new grads.
Two different players in the education technology market have launched an online career coaching service beta that uses mobile tech to help job hunting grads to be able to get a grasp on their market. The two companies involved in this service are Chegg and InsideTrack . Chegg found its start as a used textbook rentals company based in Santa Clara, California. It has broadened its services to reach into the educational and employment sectors.
Chegg has entered into a partnership with InsideTrack, which is a monthly subscription service that brings job hunting graduates together with professionals who can assist them in being hired. As a result of this partnership, the 250 professional coaches from InsideTrack will be accessible by the student base at Chegg that is currently 15 million strong.
The first tier of subscription ($19.95 per month) gives graduates employment training exercises and search content. At a more premium level ($44.95 per month), the graduates also receive one live conversation every month with their coach, as well as unlimited messaging with a coach.
All of these services are available over mobile technology, which means that graduates are able to obtain assistance whenever and wherever they are. What has yet to be seen is whether or not these money-starved grads will be willing to fork over the subscription fee in order to access those services.
