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What does independence truly mean for someone who can't see? This question lies at the heart of Envision's revolutionary approach to assistive technology for blind and low-vision individuals.
Karthik Kannan's journey began with a simple career counseling visit to a blind school in India. While his sighted nephew dreamed of building cities on Mars, the blind students shared much more fundamental aspirations: reading books independently, visiting the beach alone, or simply living by themselves someday. This stark contrast revealed how much energy people with visual impairments spend overcoming basic hurdles that sighted people take for granted.
That revelation sparked a mission to build a bridge between the visual world and those who cannot access it conventionally. Initially developing a crash-prone mobile app that converted images to speech, Karthik watched in amazement as the blind community persevered through its flaws because of its transformative potential. The app's organic growth led to Envision winning Google's Play Award for best accessibility experience, opening doors to integrate their technology with Google Glass.
The marriage of AI and wearable technology has proven particularly powerful for accessibility. While smartphones require juggling a cane in one hand and possibly a guide dog with another, smart glasses provide hands-free access to visual information. Recent advances in conversational AI have further simplified the experience, allowing users to interact naturally through speech rather than learning complicated interfaces.
Though currently priced around $1,800, these glasses are expected to become dramatically more affordable as smart wearables enter the mainstream. The impact has been so profound that many in the blind community place AI accessibility innovations in the same category as the invention of Braille.
Join us to explore how technology can truly serve humanity when designed with inclusion at its core. Have you considered how AI might bridge gaps in your own life or community?
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Chapters
1. Introduction to Karthik and Envision (00:00:00)
2. School Visit That Sparked a Mission (00:01:05)
3. Building the Bridge with AI (00:04:30)
4. From Google Glass to Accessibility Tool (00:06:30)
5. Smart Glasses Evolution and Accessibility (00:11:15)
6. Creating an App Ecosystem and Partnerships (00:18:45)
7. The Transformational Impact of AI (00:25:30)
8. Final Thoughts and Conclusion (00:30:15)
272 episodes
