Microsoft has announced that its free app, Seeing AI, which helps people with visual impairments to navigate the world, is now available for Android devices. The app, which was previously only available for iOS, uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to describe people, text, objects, colors, and currencies. The app also supports 18 languages and plans to expand to 36 languages next year.
Seeing AI is a Microsoft research project that aims to empower people with visual impairments by providing them with an intelligent app that can narrate the world around them. The app uses the device’s camera to capture images and then analyzes them using cloud-based AI services. The app then speaks the results to the user, either through the device’s speaker or a headset.
The app has several channels that can perform different tasks, such as:
- Short Text: Speaks text as soon as it appears in front of the camera
- Documents: Provides audio guidance to capture a printed page, and recognizes the text, along with its original formatting
- Products: Gives audio beeps to help locate barcodes and then scans them to identify products
- Person: Recognizes friends and describes people around you, including their emotions
- Scene: An experimental feature to describe the scene around you
- Currency: Identify currency bills when paying with cash
- Light: Generate an audible tone corresponding to the brightness in your surroundings
- Color: Describes the perceived color
- Handwriting: Reads handwritten text
The app also allows users to recognize images in other apps, such as Mail, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more, by using the Share feature.
Seeing AI: A global impact
Seeing AI was launched in July 2017 for iOS devices and has since been downloaded by over 150,000 users. The app has helped users complete over 5 million tasks unassisted, such as reading menus, signs, labels, documents, and more. The app has also received positive feedback from users, who have praised its accuracy, speed, and ease of use.
The app is now available for Android devices, which expands its reach to over 3 billion people worldwide. Android users can download the app from the Google Play Store and enjoy its features in 18 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Turkish, and Dutch. Microsoft plans to add more languages in the future, such as Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin, and Portuguese.
Microsoft’s commitment to inclusivity is evident in Seeing AI, which demonstrates how technology can help people of all abilities to achieve more. Seeing AI is not only a useful app, but also a inspiring example of how artificial intelligence and computer vision can transform lives.