Google's upcoming artificial intelligence will help blind people run just like visually-abled individuals. It can even help them run races!
Thirteen-year-old blind child Chen Zhe listens to a wireless in a dormitory of the Wuhan School for the Blind on May 31, 2007 in Wuhan of Hubei Province, China. The Wuhan School for the Blind is the only school of its kind in Wuhan and one of the earliest in the country built to provide education for blind children. The school currently has about 130 students, including over 80 children. China now has an estimated 82.96 million disabled people, including 12.33 million who are visually impaired, according to the results of the Second China National Sample Survey on Disability, which were released in December, 2006.
The search engine giant company is now testing the AI system specifically designed for vision-impaired individuals to run races without any assistance from other people.
Google's Project Guideline app is an early-phase research program and an attempt to give those people more independence. Once it is fully operational, blind people will no longer have to get a human guide or a guide dog to help them get around places.
How Google's new AI works
According to Engadget's latest report, a runner must attach an Android phone to a Google-designed harness that goes around their waist to use the system.
Google's upcoming AI can use your device's camera to identify a guideline that's been provided down on a course. When a runner is lost from the given line, the app will send audio cues to bone-conducting headphones.
In this photo illustration, an image of the Google logo is reflected on the eye of a young man on August 09, 2017 in London, England. Founded in 1995 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google now makes hundreds of products used by billions of people across the globe, from YouTube and Android to Smartbox and Google Search.
These earphones will send louder sounds in one ear the further they stray to the side, which really useful since most visually impaired people are relying on their sense of hearing.
What's great about this is that it doesn't need an internet connection to work. It can also account for a number of weather and lighting conditions. This means that you can use it most of the time.
Google was able to make this a possibility, thanks to the help of Thomas Panek, CEO, and President of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, who is also an avid runner.
Google's previous AI
It is not the first time that Google developed an exciting AI technology. Previously, the tech giant released Tone Transfer, an AI that allows people to convert their hums into a trumpet, violin, or any instrumental sound.
Just like its latest AI, Tone Transfer also has its target audience. It mainly focuses on helping musicians during the pandemic since they can't meet with each other during the ongoing pandemic. Mark Tech Post previously reported that this AI also allows them to send their composition to other musicians without the need of going directly to their houses.
These are just some of Google's helpful technologies. It might soon create new ones that will surely excite many people.
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Related Article: Google's Tone Transfer Can Turn Your Hum Into Violin or Trumpet Tune
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
