Chieko Asakawa

Computers have been changing the lives of the blind people. Voice synthesis technology has improved their educational environment and job opportunities by allowing them to access online services. Now, the new AI technologies are reaching the point where computers can help in sensing, recognizing, and understanding our living world, real-world. I will first introduce the concept of cognitive assistant for the blind, which will help blind and visually impaired to explore surroundings and enjoy city environment by assisting their missing visual sense by the power of integrated AI technologies. I will then introduce the latest technologies including the accurate indoor navigation system and the personal object recognition system, followed by the discussion of the role of the blind - how we can accelerate the advancement of AI technologies.