This AI breakthrough in China may change the world for people with visual impairments
- This AI system will help those with visual impairments
- The special glasses work in real time
- Researchers say it could ‘pave the way’ for the future
Published on Apr 22, 2025 at 9:43 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Apr 22, 2025 at 4:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Scientists in China say they have developed a wearable artificial intelligence (AI) system that could be used to help people with visual impairments navigate their surroundings independently.
The system works using a camera mounted on a pair of glasses that is able to capture live images.
The footage from this camera is then interpreted and analyzed by AI in real time, and can detect objects or other people.
The wearer is then given this information via audio alerts and vibration.
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The AI tech showed great results for people with visual impairments
AI technology has advanced at lightning speed over the past couple of years, and its implications and uses are far-reaching.
Last month, news broke of the world’s first AI-assisted brain chip that helped a paralyzed man walk again, while artificial intelligence has also been used to perform dental procedures.
Now, a new paper published in Nature Machine Intelligence has unveiled an AI-powered system that could help visually impaired navigate independently.
In the paper, the researchers enlisted 20 people with visual impairments to trial the new device alongside other methods such as canes in a 25-meter long indoor maze.
They found participants’ walking distance and navigation time improved by 25 percent using the special AI glasses system, compared with the cane, Nature reported.
It will ‘pave the way’ for more user-friendly visual assistance systems
The wearable device 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, alongside researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology at Fudan University.
Alongside the AI-equipped glasses, the team also created ‘artificial skin’ patches that the wearer is able to place on their wrists. The patches will vibrate if an obstacle is spotted.
The researchers say it will ‘pave the way for user-friendly visual assistance systems’ that will offer alternatives to enhance the quality of life for those living with visual impairments.
“This system can partially replace the eyes,” lead researcher Gu Leilei, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University told South China Morning Post.
“Lengthy audio descriptions of the environment can overwhelm and tire users, making them reluctant to use such systems.
“Unlike a car navigation system with detailed directions, our work aims to minimize AI system output, communicating information key for navigation in a way that the brain can easily absorb.”
For now the device is just a prototype, but Gu said he and his team will continue working on it to improve its accuracy when navigating outdoor environments, which are more complex than the indoors ones it was tested on.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
