New Invention to Help the Blind "Read"

       

                                 

            MIT researchers created a prototype that could help blind people "read" books and other written text without Braille.The prototype is a finger-mounted device that uses a camera to scan text, which is then converted to speech in real time. Researchers came up with two options: a device that used vibrating motors on top and beneath the finger to indicate if it needed to move up or down, and another that issued musical tones as clues. They determined that the motorless option was favorable.The device uses an algorithm to process what the camera perceives. For now, it relies on an attached laptop, but the plan for the next version is to use a phone instead.