Low Vision Assistant
Helping students with low vision follow the blackboard, in real time.
According to WHO 2010 estimates, over 17 million children aged 0–14 have low vision. Though often assumed blind, they can see content that is close to the eye and enhanced for contrast. Schools are rarely built for them, so these students risk missing their education and becoming isolated from social life.
Low Vision Assistant combines an IP camera, a Wi-Fi network and a tablet. The camera covers the blackboard and streams it in real time to the student's tablet, where it is zoomed and contrast-enhanced, optionally reduced to two colors. Using computer vision, it also shows a teacher-free view of the board, so the teacher never hides content from a student who reads slowly.
Board content and teacher narration are recorded so students can review lessons at home. Because it runs on consumer hardware, parents can buy it individually and schools or governments can deploy it at scale.
With Low Vision Assistant, students can
- Follow the lesson at the same pace as their classmates
- Take part in class by answering questions and joining discussions
- Sit anywhere in the room, free from the isolation of the front row
- Review recorded lessons after class
