Microsoft HoloLens is quite useful in many areas of society. It’s not ready for consumers, but we can see how the device could change the world and how we live our daily lives. The big question, however, is how would HoloLens work for the blind.
Javier Davalos, a developer who works with HoloLens, created an app known as White Cane. The purpose of this app is to give folks without vision the ability to see things around them with special tones.
The app takes advantage of HoloLens’ depth sensors to scan the surface within the home. After that, the device uses the collected information such as distance, orientation, direction, and inclination, to create different tones.
Now, the tones are focused into each ear of whoever is wearing it, which in turn provides a wealth of information about the environment around them.
To make things even better for blind users, the app is capable of listening to voice commands, which means the possibilities are endless. For example, the user can use the voice command to identify objects within the environment by using the camera on HoloLens.
Just imagine a blind user venturing off into an unknown area but having no idea what is in the vicinity. The user should be able to use voice commands to learn what is around from what is not. It’s a cool concept, one that could transform HoloLens into the ultimate tool for the blind.
What’s interesting is that Davalos is making plans to add this app to the Windows Store for HoloLens in the future. The developer wants to allow others with HoloLens to give the app a test run. We’re certain some will find it to be quite the treat, but as expected, it will require more work before it’s ready for primetime.