With the kind of technological advancements that we have made today, it was only a matter of time before someone did something absolutely genius to help overcome any kind of handicap. The WayAround app is one unique and absolutely fantastic application designed to help the people suffering from blindness.
The blind have learned to cope with their disability. They have learned to infer things around them so that they can live a life as normally as possible. But this app is quite revolutionary in every way possible. It doesn’t just let you cope with your disability but does you one better.
This is the apex example of how technology can literally make us better versions of ourselves. This app is essentially one that helps people find things around their house with the help of their smartphone.
How does WayAround App work?
The app uses the NFC technology for its working. NFC stands for Near Field Communication which is very similar to an Infrared or blue tooth. To use this app, your device needs to have an NFC reader. But don’t worry! If your phone doesn’t have it, then you can use the Way Link scanner.
The app is quite dynamic and can be used by anyone from anywhere in the world. The app comes in both Android version and iOS version. It caters to a need that has always been there but never really had a solution.
Today, with WayAround, there it’s possible for the blind people to find anything and everything around their house. The app works with the help of NFC. There are small stickers, tags, and buttons that the users must attach to the products. These little stickers carry a lot of information within themselves.
For example, the sticker can carry information like the color, make and shape of the shirt that you want to wear. Or it can carry the information about the spices that are kept in the kitchen cabinet. These tags are extremely useful when it comes to helping a blind person pick out an item.
What does the app do?
When the user holds their phone close to the item and the phone will verbally prompt them about the details. Say, you have tagged all the clothes in your wardrobe. When you take your phone close to a red blouse, the phone will prompt you with the color of the blouse, what it looks like, when it was last washed and more!
Isn’t that wonderful! This is quite literally taking technological innovation to the next level. Many users claim that after having used the Way Around app, they don’t feel like they actually have a handicap. They feel just as normal as the others in the family.
Is it too expensive?
Like everything that is new, this app too can get a little overbearing at times. People might find it difficult to cope with the fact that the WayAround stickers cost about 1 dollar each. That’ expensive for an ordinary middle-class person to buy and use. Especially, because you need tons of stickers if you truly need to know your “way around”.
However, with newer technologies entering the market, every day brings new innovations. We do remember how expensive smartphones used to be. Today, there are much cheaper ones also available. So, it is entirely possible that WayAround will become a lot more affordable over time.
A general opinion
On the whole, it can be said that this WayAround app is no short of a miracle. It works to cater to a problem which can happen to anyone. This app opens new professional doors for the blind as well. Could you have ever imagined a blind storekeeper or a vision impaired librarian?
Well, now, with the help of this application, it is entirely possible. The user simply needs to add tags to each item and when they take their phone close to it; their phone will verbally call it out loud!
Original Source: https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/new-app-helps-the-blind-find-their-way-easier
