Handheld device converts text to speech for blind people

Inventor Ray Kurzweil has shipped a £2,625 handheld device for blind people that you aim at any text and it reads aloud. I saw a demo of this at the Singularity Summit in Stanford last month and it really worked -- mindblowingly well. The audience loved the demo -- Kurzweil aimed it at a copy of his book on the podium and let it read aloud.

The K-NFB gives the user an initial "situation report", describing what it can see. The user then makes a decision about whether to take a picture.

After a few seconds to process the image, the contents of the document are read aloud.

A set of earbuds come as standard, but the sound could also be routed through a Bluetooth headset or a set of speakers.

Sight & Sound says it will help with the ad-hoc reading of documents such as bills and receipts, instructions on food packaging or medication or emergency evacuation notices in hotels.

Link (via Futurismic)