AI can read Braille twice as fast as humans

A research team from the University of Cambridge has succeeded in building a robotic sensor that, using artificial intelligence techniques, is able to read texts written in Braille at a speed of 315 words per minute. This reading speed is almost twice the speed of a human. At the same time, the accuracy of this robotic sensor is reported to be 87%, which is close to the accuracy of a human.

Previously, robotic sensors designed to read braille were only able to read one letter at a time individually. But the new sensor developed at the University of Cambridge, inspired by the high sensitivity of the human finger, slides over the text in a biometric way and reads the letters continuously. This sliding method has a much higher efficiency than the previous method.

Recreating the high level of sensitivity of a human fingertip in a robotic sensor is an important challenge for AI engineers because it requires achieving high energy efficiency while increasing sensitivity. The sensor developed in this project has a camera at its tip and combines the information obtained from the camera and other sensors to be able to read Braille texts.

One of the main and common problems of such robots is the occurrence of image blurring during the fast movement of the sensor, which requires extensive image processing and high energy consumption. For this purpose, the researchers used advanced machine learning algorithms to sharpen the images before recognizing the letters.

After applying these algorithms, the researchers were able to move the robotic sensor at high speed on surfaces containing Braille and read it. The results of the tests showed that this sensor can read Braille texts with a speed of 315 words per minute and an accuracy of 87%. This achievement promises the advancement of robotic capabilities using machine learning.

The researchers expressed hope that the developed sensor could be used in the future as a platform for making artificial limbs or robotic hands with a high level of sensitivity.

Do you think we will see more robots to help the blind in the future? What robots?