Significant improvements in technology in recent years have created more advanced assistive tools and services that allow people with sensory impairments to lead more independent and fulfilling lives. While there will always be a need for traditional assistive devices such as white canes, Braille signage for the visually impaired, or closed-captioning services for the hearing-impaired, these new devices, apps, and underlying technological approaches are helping to create a more inclusive world. The number of people who benefit from technological improvements to assistive technologies is notable. According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 43 million people around the world were living with blindness as of 2021. Meanwhile, hearing loss currently affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, of whom 430 million have moderate or higher levels of hearing loss in their better-hearing ear, according to the World Report on Hearing, published in 2021 by the World Health Organization.

Google is testing an artificial intelligence system designed to help blind and vision-impaired people to run races by themselves. Project Guideline, which is an early-phase research program, is an attempt to give those people more independence. They wouldn't necessarily need to rely on a tethered human guide or a guide dog to help them around a course. To use the system, a runner attaches an Android phone to a Google-designed harness that goes around their waist, according to VentureBeat. A Project Guideline app can use the phone's camera to track a guideline that's been laid down on a course. The app then sends audio cues to bone-conducting headphones when a runner veers away from the line -- the sound will get louder in one ear the further they stray to the side.