Blind Japanese inventor harnessing technology to improve lives of visually impaired

LONDON - Dr. Chieko Asakawa's life motto: Make the impossible possible -- by never giving up. Blind since the age of 14, Asakawa has dedicated the past three decades to researching and developing new technologies to help transform the lives of the visually impaired. Asakawa's inventions have impacted millions worldwide and now one of them will receive one of the ultimate in industry accolades. The Osaka-born computer scientist, who lives in the United States, is among 19 innovators who will be inducted into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame in Washington in May. "It is a great honor to be recognized, one that is unexpected and a wonderful surprise," said Asakawa, an IBM distinguished service professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotic Institute in Pittsburgh.