Audio Reading Assistant for Visually Impaired People

Abstract

This paper describes an Android mobile phone application designed for blind or visually impaired people. The main aim of this system is to create an automatic text- reading assistant using the hardware capabilities of a mobile phone associated with innovative algorithms. The Android platform was chosen for people who already have a mobile phone and do not need to buy new hardware. Four key technologies are required: camera capture, text detection, speech synthesis, and voice detection. Moreover, a voice recognition subsystem has been created that meets the needs of blind users, allowing them to effectively control the appli- cation by voice. It requires three key technologies: voice capture over the embedded microphone, speech-to-text, and user request interpretation. As a result, the application for an Android platform was developed based on these tech- nologies.