Voice Stick: Ingenious Reading Device For The Blind Or Lazy

FILED UNDER: Design, Technology

Here is an ingenious design that while created with the blind in mind, I’m sure would make a great tool for people out there who simply don’t like to read. Called the Voice Stick, it is an optical character recognition scanner in the shape of a small wand. It uses advanced text-to-voice technology to help visually impaired people read everything from books to business cards.

The Voice Stick is a creation by designer Sungwoo Park that makes virtually any printed text available to the blind. Despite efforts the world over to accommodate the visually impaired with braille translations, it’s a costly and time-consuming exercise that will never be available for all past or future text. That’s where the Voice Stick comes in.

As you pass the wand over a page, the text is scanned, translated and then read to you in a friendly voice through a set of earphones. It would be capable of reading from a variety of materials such as newspapers, books, mail, brochures, contracts and small items such as business cards or perhaps even packaging on groceries.

The scope for a device such as this is huge. As well as helping the visually impaired to read and the lazy to read things that don’t come in audiobook form, it could also aid the elderly or sufferers of macular degeneration. It has the potential to be easier to use and less conspicuous than an electronic magnifying glass or similar aids.

Lets hope this gem of a design makes it to market. It will be a big step forward in making information available to everyone.

Source:
Yanko Design

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Comments (11 Responses):

I would be interested in receiving more information re this product. I have low vision and am looking for a reading device to help me read the newspaper.

Jacob, I’m afraid this is just a concept design – but you might find one of these electronic magnifying glasses of interest, to help you read the paper and even the tiny print on food labels.

Dear Designer–
Could you tell me the present status of your invention. This would mean so much to so many people!

I would also be interested in writing an article about you and how you developed this!
Sincerely,
Barbara Lacour

Hi Barbara,
Sung Woo Park, the Voice Stick’s designer, has a profile page listed on Cloroflot where he can be contacted about his work. The idea certainly would be useful to many people. Let us know if he’s making any progress – Mark.

Please tell us the price quotation for the Voice Stick ingenious Reading Device and tell if it is available in India and which are the languages it supports

KISHOR,
The Voice Stick is only a concept design and is not available for purchase as far as I’m aware. You might be interested in the Intel Reader, however, which works in a similar way.
Cheers, Mark.

I think this a important device for people like me with visual problem. I´d like to receive more information about it and speacialy in portuguese language.

How do I get more info on the reading scan stick. I would like to maybe buy it for my father that is blind.

I would like to get this gadget for my father who has just lost his eyesight. I live in Malta , Euorpe, from where can I get this gadget as soon as possible please.

I live in New Zealand and have a mother who is nearly blind. This device looks ideal to assist in her reading – where can I purchase one? What is the cost? Look forward to your early reply.

There is a similiar device on Ebay called the Book Port portable reading device which is for blind and low vision people. Good luck in your search!!!

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