This article was originally published by RFID Update.
November 7, 2007—RFID reader module manufacturer SkyeTek today announced that its product has been selected by Singapore-based GaiShan Technology for use in that company’s TellMate product for the visually impaired.
The TellMate is a portable audio device that informs the owner about his or her surroundings. RFID labels are attached to objects, which transfer identification data and other related information to the TellMate when scanned by the device. That information is then “read” aloud to the owner. Examples of suggested objects that a visually impaired person might tag for TellMate identification are documents and files, credit and identification cards, apparel, and food and drink packages.
GaiShan argues that the TellMate is superior to the traditional Braille-based system because, among other reasons, RFID labels can contain far more information than Braille script; Braille must be studied and learned to be understood, whereas TellMate requires no special knowledge (there is reportedly a high incidence of Braille illiteracy); and the TellMate labels are easier to manufacture and deploy than Braille labels.
The concept of “talking” objects for the visually impaired is not entirely new; many such tools already exist. The idea with TellMate is that every object could become a talking object with the addition of an RFID label. “While many talking devices, such as clocks, thermometers, and calculators exist to aid the visually impaired in their everyday lives, there is still a need for devices to help them identify everyday objects and retrieve important information about those objects,” SJ Chin, GaiShan’s managing director, was quoted in the release.
SkyeTek has been expanding its business across Asia, and most recently announced the addition of two distributors in the region, USSEN and Hangzhou Ziytek.
Read the announcement from SkyeTek