Envision, a tech company based in the Netherlands, has developed revolutionary smart glasses that can help the blind or visually impaired to read documents and identify objects. In order to further enhance the glasses’ utility, Envision has recently introduced an AI-powered voice activated sight assistant powered by the OpenAI ChatGPT 4.0 engine.
The integration of ChatGPT 4.0 has been hailed by industry leaders as a monumental development that shows how advanced artificial intelligence technologies can be utilized in consumer products. Microsoft has already integrated the technology into its products.
The feature, Ask Envision, allows people who use the glasses to simply capture the text with the camera and subsequently ask ChatGPT a question. For instance, one could ask, “What is the balance of this bill” or “What are the vegetarian options on this menu?” Within seconds, Ask Envision will provide relevant and precise answers.
Furthermore, ChatGPT is not just limited to reading texts but also includes other capabilities such as summarizing long documents, providing language translations, interpreting instructions, and providing navigation guidance.
Besides its AI capabilities, the main benefit of the Ask Envision feature is its user-friendly interface. All the user has to do is ask the question in a conversational manner and the assistant will provide answers. Karthik Mahadevan, Enision CEO, says that their goal is to make the glasses “as easy to interact with as they would be if there was a sighted person to whom you could ask questions sitting next to you”.
Envision recently held a webinar to showcase the capabilities of Ask Envision to its users. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with one beta tester, Chela from California, saying “This is awesome. My mind is totally blown by this.”
The next step for this revolutionary technology is to enable the glasses to recognize images, objects and live scenes. In doing so, the glasses can provide facial recognition and help the user to find their way.
Mahadevan believes that the integration of AI-driven technologies such as ChatGPT with Envision’s glasses represents the future of assistive technology. By combining various components into a unified platform, Mahadevan hopes that these technologies not only make life easier for visually impaired persons but also empower them to do more tasks without the need of sight assistance from other people.
