AI-operated glasses are helping those who have vision losses navigating the world around them

For Andrew Tutti, driving on open road means freedom – ability to enter the car, turn on the key and go anywhere at any time.

All this changed when he lost his vision as an adult, and his license to drive with him.

“The loss of freedom became immediately clear when I could not drive anymore,” Tutti says, which lives in Kitchenar, Onts.

Other everyday tasks like cooking have also become difficult. Some simple can become a challenge as setting digital toaster or confirming the correct box of noodles. But he would have discovered a way to get some of his freedom back with the help of glasses run by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

While they were not originally designed as an accessibility tools, Tutti says they have been used “explosion in the blind community” to help navigate daily life with greater freedom. But some experts take precautions that they also question about privacy, security and data collection.

Look at new ways

In its kitchen, Tutti has a box of noodles. Before leaving them in the pan, he asks his AI-managed glasses what noodles they see. A voice reply back: Lasagna.

Glasses-In this case, connect to Meta’s AI-AI-Interested Smart Glasses-one smartphone and respond to the voice command.

He uses them together with different accessibility apps such as to identify my eye objects, describe your surroundings and even join with human volunteers for additional support.

In the morning, glasses help him choose clothes that match the colors of objects, making them more confident when going out.

“It provides great freedom,” he said.

Compared to other auxiliary technology, it is relatively inexpensive. Tutti says they got their pair on sale for approximately $ 250, but the model is running from the model $ 369 to $ 539 on the Meta’s Canadian website model. Other vision-immative devices such as the Orkam Mayy can run for thousands of dollars.

Like the Tutti, the amil scavers of Hamilton Onts, who are legally blind, also use meta AI glasses to examine their clothes. But color revival is useful by other methods.

“I can ask, is the crosswalk green? And it would say yes or not,” he told Ian Hanomansing Cross country checkup“At the same time, I am listening to traffic, so I assure both of them to know.”

When navigating, the schemes often stop to re -examine traffic signals. Now, the glasses left him a step to get his phone out or ask for help.

Schevers emphasize that technology works with their other access tools and skills, rather than replacing them.

“With the help of glasses, combined with my skills, additional confidence in being able to cross me,” he said.

Price of freedom

Peter Lewis, Ontario Tech University, an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in trusted Artificial Intelligence, said that these AI-managed glasses can also look at the user.

The devices continuously process what their underlying cameras see-and send that data to big companies.

They say that users should give up their privacy, so that with disabilities should be able to live independently in the world.

Smart glasses can broadcast everything in the area of ​​the wearer: for example, road signs or menu, but people’s faces, private conversations, even inside of homes or workplaces.

“Essentially, what you are carrying a camera around, pointing to the world at all times, streaming a big data company,” he said.

Lewis says that data can be stored, analyzed, or used for purposes beyond use – from training to the future AI model from target advertising.

Tutti says that he does not trust AI to tell him that the stairs are ahead or when crossing the road is safe. Instead, he depends on his cane and when needed, turns to a small circle of his wife or loved ones who are volunteers to help the person-to ensure that safety information comes from people, not algorithms, not algorithms, to ensure that safety information comes from people.

“AI technologies are not completely reliable. They are not innocent,” Louis said. “It is really important for people to understand that these systems will fail, and will be able to make an informed decisions about relying on them.”

So he emphasizes that he says “dumb technology” – simple, reliable equipment such as a walking sugarcane. They are constantly, approximate and do not come up with the risks of data collection or algorithm errors.

Darshan beyond lens

For Lewis, the question of using AI for accessibility is “not only a balanced scorecard where we leave some things to achieve others.”

Instead, they argue that many risk design comes from options that are not there.

He said that false businesses like leaving privacy for freedom are “cooked” because large technical companies benefit from data harvesting, he said.

“We should be able to design devices that do not rely on the beliefs, and actually respect people’s privacy.”

He hopes that the next generation auxiliary technology keeps the needs of users at the center – empowered without compromising.

“This has always been the idea of ​​a computer disappeared in a way,” Louis said. “The more we have such techniques that disappear in the background and people will be ideal – it is ideal.”