A Blind-accessible Modification to an Otherwise Inaccessible Coffee Machine

Lindsay, a 23-year-old Somerville resident and researcher at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, is a coffee lover. She has a Keurig brewer, which allows her to make a wide variety of hot and cold beverages at the touch of a button. However, Lindsay, who is blind, has trouble using the machine’s touch-screen controls.
Read the full story here

Blicycle - a bicycle for blind riders

Brian, a 56-year-old man, has been completely blind since the age of 11. He had been an avid biker in his youth even after he lost his sight. Brian discussed with us the difficulty of getting exercise without sight, and his inability to bike without help. The team decided to create Blicycle, a computer vision enabled bicycle that acts as an obstacle detector and guidance system. The bike was designed to detect the boundary between grass and rubberized atheltic track, so the operator can bike around the oval, a set distance from the center.
Read the full story here

Holi - an iPhone app for detecting clothing colors

iPhone app

Holi is an iOS application for clothing color detection for colorblind and visually impaired users. Named after the Indian festival of color, it was developed for an individual with Retinitis Pigmentosa, who also suggested its name. Its purpose is to help people with vision impairments to get dressed more easily by telling them the colors of their clothing in their closet or wardrobe. We have found that in many areas it is more accurate than the leading free color detection app in the iOS App Store.