Google Lookout – An Android app to help blind and visually impaired people learn about their surroundings – No Internet Needed
There are over 253 million blind or visually impaired people in the world. To make the world more accessible to them, we need to build tools that can work with the ever-changing environment around us. Google's new Android app Lookout, coming to the Play Store in the U.S this year, helps people who are blind or visually impaired become more independent by giving auditory cues as they encounter objects, text and people around them.
Google recommends wearing your Pixel device in a lanyard around your neck, or in your shirt pocket, with the camera pointing away from your body. After opening the app, and selecting a mode, Lookout processes items of importance in your environment and shares information it believes to be relevant — text from a recipe book, or the location of a bathroom, an exit sign, a chair or a person nearby. Lookout delivers spoken notifications, designed to be used with minimal interaction allowing people to stay engaged with their activity.
There are four modes to choose from within the app: Home, Work & Play, Scan or Experimental. When you select a specific mode, Lookout will deliver information that’s relevant to the selected activity.
The core experience is processed on the device, which means the app can be used without an internet connection. But seeing it uses the camera a lot of battery capacity may be needed!
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Lookout: an app to help blind and visually impaired people learn about their surroundings Lookout is a new Android app, designed to help people who are blind or visually impaired, gain more independence by giving spoken cues about objects, text and people around them. |