Face Recognition Tool for the Blind

描述（由申请人提供）：盲人或视力低下的人在各种社交活动中很难认出人。在某些情况下，仅仅依靠语音识别可能是困难的，而在其他情况下，例如，在一个不说话的群体中，则是不可能的。在许多专业和教育场合，盲人在小组会议中无法识别他人是一个劣势。本项目拟开发一种可穿戴系统，以帮助盲人和低视力用户进行上述类型的社交互动。该系统利用人脸识别技术，通过无线耳机或盲文显示器分别报出同学和同事的名字，从而识别出他们的身份。提议的系统将支持许多不同的部署模型，以适应广泛的基础设施支持和隐私需求。在最简单的部署模型中，用户将注册愿意使用智能手机拍照的同事的面孔。另一种选择是允许同事通过在主题栏中添加姓名的自画像来进行自我注册。更高级的部署方法将访问现有的人脸图像数据库。该装置的社会效益是，如果成功，它将改善盲人或严重视障人士在工作场所或教育环境中的接触、融合和独立性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): It is difficult for people who are blind or have low vision to recognize people in a variety of social interactions. Sole reliance on voice recognition may be difficult in some circumstances, and impossible in other circumstances, e.g., people within a group who do not speak. The inability to identify people during group meetings is a disadvantage for blind people in many professional and educational situations. This project proposes to develop a wearable system to aid blind and low vision users in the aforementioned types of social interactions. Using face recognition technology, the system will identify classmates and colleagues by discretely announcing their names via a wireless earpiece or Braille display. The proposed system will support many different deployment models to suit a wide range of infrastructure support and privacy desires. In the simplest deployment model, the user will enroll the faces of willing colleagues using a smartphone to take pictures. A second alternative will allow colleagues to self-enroll by emailing self-portraits with their name in the subject line. More advanced deployment methodologies will access existing face image databases. The societal benefit of the proposed device is that, if successful, it will improve the access, integration, and independence of the blind or severely visually impaired individuals in workplace or educational settings. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: It is difficult for people, who are blind or have low vision, to recognize people in a variety of social interactions. Multipurpose tools based on face recognition technology will improve the access, integration, and independence of the blind or severely visually impaired individuals in workplace or educational settings.