Helping Blind Passengers “See” Out the Window – New Glass Technology
Ford started it and many others are looking to follow the example; helping blind passengers ‘see’ outside. They called it the Smart Window Display View, or Feel the View. Thus far, it’s only in the prototype phase and is expected to replace windshields in many later Ford models.
How It Works
Feel the View is just like one of your sunshades, mounting atop a passenger window. The passenger can press a button at any time and the camera behind the gadget will automatically take an image of the landscape outside, be it a city, lush greenery, mountains, the sea or even when it’s nighttime.
The device converts it all into a black and white picture with the help of LED lights embedded inside and then reconstructs it, translating it into vibrations. With 250 different types of vibrations currently programed into the prototype, it may not be enough to cover all that nature holds, but is better than nothing.
Vibrations vary in terms of their intensity and frequency. Darker hues mean slower vibration and lighter tones mean faster vibrations.
As for the passenger, they can trace their finger across the device like a touchscreen and Feel the View will pass vibrations only where their finger is. As they move their finger, the image starts to take form on it for the visually impaired to “see”.
The prototype can also recognize familiar figures in images, composing an audio description of what the image holds. You can connect the device with your car’s stereo system to hear descriptions out loud.
Feel the View is just one inch think and the prototype was about 3 inches in height and 10 inches wide, making it a rather handy device.
At True Blue Auto Glass, we are very enthusiastic about this new innovation in the automotive industry that can help you enjoy scenic views with those you love. We are constantly reading up on windshield replacement and repair technology so we can do our best to help our customers. Our goal isn’t just to help you get the best windshield replacement and repair services, but also to help you live life to the fullest!
