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TellMate Uses RFID to Help the Blind Recognize Objects
To recommission a tag, the user could place the tag on a different object and hit the record button, which would first play the message already associated with that tag, then allow the user to record a new message to replace the existing one.
"The whole idea behind the system is to enable the blind users to be as independent as possible," says Chin. He first conceived of the TellMate system, and decided to create GaiShan Technology, after working as an engineering consultant on an RFID-based industrial laundry application. There, tags were used to identity individual garments and link personnel to a usage history for each garment, and Chin realized they could be used to link much more information than would be possible through the use of Braille symbols.
Chin sees great potential in the TellMate as a tool for educating the blind. "Say that you have a map of the United States, and the name of each state is printed in Braille [at each state location]," he explains. "You could also add a tag to the map, so that a student would use Braille to identify the state, and then use the TellMate to read the tag and learn more information about that state, such as its population, or major cities, etc."
Chin plans to sell the TellMate system through retailers specializing in equipment for the blind in Asia, Europe and the United States. He says the system has been tested not only in Singapore, but also in other parts of Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe. Demand for the system has spread through a podcast, which one of the early testers created and posted on Web sites used by organizations for the blind on all three continents. Chin expects the system to become commercially available soon, retailing in the United States for roughly $500.
Other RFID-based systems have been developed around the world as aides for the blind. Chen says that what sets TellMate apart is that the handset is designed not just as a reader, but also as a more complete information system. The device includes a fully functional MP3 player and FM radio, and can be used to store voice recordings not related to specific tags. This last function enables users to keep a digital notebook of lists, observances and reminders. The device also offers a function that announces the time and date.
Awarea, a Seattle-based startup, launched an RFID system in downtown Seattle designed to trigger audio announcements on a range of topics, such as sales offered by local merchants and a bus's exact arrival time at a certain stop. The system was tested by a number of blind residents (see RFID Brings Messages to Seattle Sidewalks). Additionally, a researcher at Utah State University has developed an RFID-controlled robot designed to guide the blind through airports and other hard-to-navigate areas (see The Seeing-Eye Robot).
"The whole idea behind the system is to enable the blind users to be as independent as possible," says Chin. He first conceived of the TellMate system, and decided to create GaiShan Technology, after working as an engineering consultant on an RFID-based industrial laundry application. There, tags were used to identity individual garments and link personnel to a usage history for each garment, and Chin realized they could be used to link much more information than would be possible through the use of Braille symbols.
Chin sees great potential in the TellMate as a tool for educating the blind. "Say that you have a map of the United States, and the name of each state is printed in Braille [at each state location]," he explains. "You could also add a tag to the map, so that a student would use Braille to identify the state, and then use the TellMate to read the tag and learn more information about that state, such as its population, or major cities, etc."
Chin plans to sell the TellMate system through retailers specializing in equipment for the blind in Asia, Europe and the United States. He says the system has been tested not only in Singapore, but also in other parts of Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe. Demand for the system has spread through a podcast, which one of the early testers created and posted on Web sites used by organizations for the blind on all three continents. Chin expects the system to become commercially available soon, retailing in the United States for roughly $500.
Awarea, a Seattle-based startup, launched an RFID system in downtown Seattle designed to trigger audio announcements on a range of topics, such as sales offered by local merchants and a bus's exact arrival time at a certain stop. The system was tested by a number of blind residents (see RFID Brings Messages to Seattle Sidewalks). Additionally, a researcher at Utah State University has developed an RFID-controlled robot designed to guide the blind through airports and other hard-to-navigate areas (see The Seeing-Eye Robot).
