[gui-talk] Fwd: Article: Audio labels speak to the blind

[albert griffith]

I wish they'd mentioned how much the labels cost.  They didn't say the
scanner would cost  60 pounds and that's good but only half the equation.

-----Original Message-----
From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Steve Pattison
Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 10:12 AM
To: Access L; CUG Members
Subject: [gui-talk] Fwd: Article: Audio labels speak to the blind

From: Red Wolf

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8263262.stm
 
      By Geoff Adams-Spink
      Age & disability correspondent, BBC News

A device that allows blind people to attach and read audio labels on
everyday objects has gone on show.

The PenFriend uses minute barcodes which - when scanned by a digital pen -
trigger MP3 files recorded on the unit. 

It has been developed by a UK firm together with the Royal National
Institute of Blind People (RNIB). 

It costs less than £60, and can be used to label foods and medication as
well as clothing, personal documentation and film and music collections. 

"At the moment we are just scratching the surface: we are starting
development of address books, organisers, diaries and calendars," explained
Alison Long of the RNIB. 

'Software secret'

The PenFriend is the result of collaboration between the charity and
London-based company, Mantra Lingua. 

It uses optical identification technology (OID) to print microdots on to
adhesive labels which are then read by the scanner in the tip of the
PenFriend. 

This in turn triggers an MP3 file, perhaps even of the user's own voice,
giving a spoken description of the item that is labelled. 

It can hold up to 70 hours of audio recordings and can also be used as a
standard MP3 player. 

This means that people are not limited to just a few seconds to describe the
object being labelled. 

Information such as a food item's sell-by date, its ingredients and even
cooking instructions can be included. 

In the case of medication, the purchase date and dosing instructions can be
added. 

Mantra Lingua originally used a talking pen device with its children's books
and approached the RNIB to see whether it would be useful for
vision-impaired children. 

Coincidentally, the charity had been looking for a low-cost labelling
product. 

"We saw the potential in the talking pen and commissioned them [Mantra
Lingua] to develop and manufacture the PenFriend," explained Ms Long. 

She says that the secret of the device is in the software that reads the
microdot barcodes. 

Audio labelling is not a new idea, but previous versions tended to use more
expensive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to label products. 

"This is exciting because it's giving people independence at an affordable
price and without being technical," said Ms Long. 

"We've already had a lot of positive feedback - so many letters from people
who have said it has changed their lives." 

It was on show at the RNIB Techshare exhibition in London's Docklands.

Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
MSN Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com
Skype:  steve1963
Twitter:  steve9782


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