Latest news with #ShanghaiArtificialIntelligenceLaboratory
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Breakthrough: China unveils AI eyes for the blind to move independently and safely
Imagine a world where people who cannot see can still move around confidently without any self-doubt or fear. That world isn't far away with the arrival of AI. According to a study published in Nature Machine Intelligence, researchers from China unveiled a new wearable AI system that empowers blind and visually impaired individuals to navigate easily and independently. The system provides real-time guidance to users with a combination of video, vibrations, and audio prompts. The AI system includes a camera, an AI processor, and bone conduction headphones. The system is mounted between the user's eyebrows. The camera captures the live footage instantly for the AI system to analyze. Then, short audio cues are delivered directly through the headphones, without blocking ambient sounds. A team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University developed the system. Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, East China Normal University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology at Fudan University. 'This research paves the way for user-friendly visual assistance systems, offering alternative avenues to enhance the quality of life for people with visual impairment,' the team wrote. Lead researcher Gu Leilei, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasised the team's commitment to making the system as practical and easy to use as possible. "This system can partially replace the eyes,' he said. 'Lengthy audio descriptions of the environment can overwhelm and tire users, making them reluctant to use such systems,' Gu told The South China Morning Post. 'Unlike a car navigation system with detailed directions, our work aims to minimise AI system output, communicating information key for navigation in a way that the brain can easily absorb,' Gu said. The equipment is lightweight and compact in design, meaning it can be worn all day without any discomfort, allowing users to move naturally without feeling burdened. The system has been tested indoors with 20 visually impaired volunteers. After just 20 minutes of practice, most of the users could operate it with ease, according to the study. The process to set a destination is also quite simple. Users issue a voice command, and the AI finds a safe route, offering only essential prompts along the way. It's currently trained to identify 21 objects, including beds, chairs, tables, sinks, televisions, and food items. Researchers are planning to expand these capabilities further. Gu said the team's next focus is to refine the system for outdoor environments, where navigational challenges are far more complex. Enhancements could include improved object detection, dynamic route adaptation, and integration with real-world GPS systems. This AI-powered wearable system may offer a new level of autonomy with further developments, and with that, confidence to millions of visually impaired people to be independent worldwide.
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese scientists use AI to help visually impaired to ‘see', explore the world
Chinese scientists say they have developed a wearable artificial intelligence system that can help visually impaired people to navigate their way around the world. Advertisement An AI algorithm analyses real-time footage of the environment and gives the user concise directional prompts via bone conduction headphones, according to a paper published on Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Machine Intelligence. Artificial skin sensory motors on each wrist monitor the user's surroundings and vibrate an alert if they detect potential obstacles on either side, it said. The system was developed by engineers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, East China Normal University, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in collaboration with researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology at Fudan University. 'This research paves the way for user-friendly visual assistance systems, offering alternative avenues to enhance the quality of life for people with visual impairment,' they wrote. Advertisement Lead author Gu Leilei, an associate professor with Shanghai Jiao Tong University's School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, said that the AI-powered system was designed to optimise the user's experience through intuitive cues. 'Lengthy audio descriptions of the environment can overwhelm and tire users, making them reluctant to use such systems,' Gu said.
