When Jagadish Mahendran heard about his friend's daily challenges navigating as a blind person, he immediately thought of his artificial intelligence work. "For years I had been teaching robots to see things," he said. Mahendran, a computer vision researcher at the University of Georgia's Institute for Artificial Intelligence, found it ironic that he had helped develop machines -- including a shopping robot that could "see" stocked shelves and a kitchen robot -- but nothing for people with low or no vision. After exploring existing tech for blind and low vision people like camera-enabled canes or GPS-connected smartphone apps, he came up with a backpack-based AI design that uses cameras to provide instantaneous alerts. Delays can be dangerous when, for example, a car quickly crosses an intersection.

Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a wearable AI engine that can help visually impaired people navigate the world around them. Users receive audio directions and advisories from a Bluetooth-enabled earphone, while a battery in a fanny pack provides about eight hours of energy. Intel, which provided the processing power for the prototype device, says it's superior to other high-tech visual-assistance programs, which'lack the depth perception necessary to facilitate independent navigation.' Jagadish Mahendran, an AI developer at the University of Georgia's Institute for Artificial Intelligence, was inspired to create the system by a visually impaired friend. 'I was struck by the irony that, while I have been teaching robots to see, there are many people who cannot see and need help,' he said. Using OpenCV's Artificial Intelligence Kit, he developed a program that runs on a laptop small enough to stow in a backpack, linked to Luxonis OAK-D spatial AI cameras in a vest jacket that provide obstacle and depth information.