A device to 'hear' what they can't see

A group of IT students in Agra develop a device for blind people. 'E-Netra' reads texts and converts them into voice that can be heard through earphones.

A group of IT students here have developed a device that can enable the blind to hear what they cannot see or read.

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Called 'E-Netra', it costs Rs.2,000-3,000 and it reads texts through an embedded system and converts them into voice that can be heard through earphones.

Right now it can only read text, but later it is likely to pick up prints in Braille script.

The Agra College team that took six months to develop the device and the software to go with it was led by RK Sharma and included his assistants Karan, Mayank, Akshat, Khalid and Jitendra.

Sized like a mobile, the device consists of an automatic zoom camera that will store the text in memory. It will also emit signals if the page is out of focus. The text will be converted automatically into speech.

The device can read newspapers, books and even signboards.

"Considering that everything cannot be translated or converted into readable items through Braille script, the new development can be of great help to the disabled," said Vikas Pandit, a professor at the university's IT department.