Reader for the Blind
By: Charlotte Ames
Updated: July 25, 2007
Recently, the National Federation of the Blind teamed up with inventor Ray Kurzweil to develop a new device to help people with blindness and low vision “read.” It’s called the Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader, or K-NFB Reader.
The Reader combines a number of different technologies – a state-of-the-art digital camera, personal digital assistant (PDA), character recognition software and text-to-speech conversion technology – all in a compact, hand-held device. Simply put, it’s a smart camera that “talks.”
To use the Reader, a person takes a picture of the printed material. The image is captured, processed and translated into clear speech. A whole page can be processed in 20 seconds or less. There’s even a headphone jack to enable a user to listen privately without distracting others.
The K-NFB Reader is capable of “reading” most printed documents, such as store receipts, address labels, package instructions, restaurant menus, letters, bills and airline tickets. Images can be deleted or stored for future use (with extra memory, the device is capable of storing thousands of pages of text). The information can even be transferred onto a home computer or computerized Braille note taker.
Currently, the K-NFB Reader retails for about $3,300. For more information, log onto the web at http://www.knfbreader.com
, or call (877) 708-1724.
The Reader combines a number of different technologies – a state-of-the-art digital camera, personal digital assistant (PDA), character recognition software and text-to-speech conversion technology – all in a compact, hand-held device. Simply put, it’s a smart camera that “talks.”
To use the Reader, a person takes a picture of the printed material. The image is captured, processed and translated into clear speech. A whole page can be processed in 20 seconds or less. There’s even a headphone jack to enable a user to listen privately without distracting others.
The K-NFB Reader is capable of “reading” most printed documents, such as store receipts, address labels, package instructions, restaurant menus, letters, bills and airline tickets. Images can be deleted or stored for future use (with extra memory, the device is capable of storing thousands of pages of text). The information can even be transferred onto a home computer or computerized Braille note taker.
Currently, the K-NFB Reader retails for about $3,300. For more information, log onto the web at http://www.knfbreader.com
, or call (877) 708-1724.
Charlotte Ames is the area's only local Health Reporter and brings you the latest medical health news weeknights. You can catch Healthcast on WTAJ News at 5:00pm and her Health Headlines report on WTAJ News at 5:30pm.