Taiwanese student invents free photography software so blind people can feel pictures

From Taiwan News:

A Taiwanese student has invented free software which allows visually impaired people to feel pictures, reports said Sept. 2.

Peng Yu-hsuan of National Chung Cheng University in Minhsiung, Chiayi County, said he developed the system, known as "Dark Angel, the blind people's camera," to benefit even more visually impaired people.

The university said that the information technology institute researcher found that prices for computer systems for the blind started at NT$50,000 (US$1,500) with additional necessary aides not coming cheap either. As a result, Peng researched and developed the cell phone-based system with assistance from assistant professor Lo Hsi-wu.

Users take pictures with Google's Android system on their cell phone and transfer them with the assistance of voice recognition and the wireless Bluetooth system to a screen which shows them in relief, Peng said.

Users with sight problems can touch the images and feel the objects in the pictures, he said. Touch replaced sight, and flat images turned into three-dimensional pictures, according to Peng.

The inventor said that during the research process he called in the assistance of a hospital eye specialist and a visually impaired fellow student at the university. Peng said he needed their opinions on whether the system could meet practical everyday needs.

After putting the software online, Peng said he received e-mails of encouragement from all over the world.