Session Name: | Powering a Cognitive Assistant for the Blind Using AR |
Speaker(s): | Yang Liu, Markus Meister |
Company Name(s): | Caltech, Caltech |
Track / Format: | Innovation |
Overview: | Augmented reality can extend your cognitive abilities. Things that you cannot perceive can be brought within reach of your senses in real time. On that premise, speakers Yang Liu and Markus Meister from Caltech will present a cognitive assistant for blind persons based on the Microsoft HoloLens. The system identifies objects in the environment and gives them virtual voices, communicating maximally distilled knowledge in a way that is intuitive and natural to the human user. By interacting with these voices, the blind user gains all kinds of new abilities: from obstacle avoidance to formation and recall of spatial memories. With this technology, blind people can navigate an unfamiliar multi-story building on their first attempt, without any training. Liu and Meister will discuss the design principle behind the technology and argue that with the same principles, AR can power intelligent assistants that boost cognitive powers for everyone. |