Tag: assistive technology
-
How MIT’s New Method Teaches AI to Find Personalized Objects in Video Context
Overview: Teaching AI to Localize Personalized Objects Vision-language models (VLMs) like GPT-5 have made strides in recognizing general objects in complex scenes. However, researchers at MIT and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab identified a critical gap: these models struggle to locate personalized objects across time and varied contexts, such as a specific pet or a…
-
AI for a Fairer Future: Empowering People with Disabilities
The promise of AI when lived experience leads Artificial intelligence is not inherently equitable. Its impact depends on who designs it and whose needs are prioritized. When AI tools are built with lived experience at their heart—from conversational screen readers to adaptive dashboards and real-time captioning—they do more than remove barriers. They unlock agency, empower…
-
Proximity Pal: VIU students’ wearable aid for vision
VIU students pioneer a wearable safety aid for the visually impaired At Vancouver Island University, a project that began as a classroom assignment has blossomed into a tangible tool aimed at increasing independence for people with visual impairments. The Proximity Pal is a compact, chest-worn device designed to act as an early warning system, alerting…
-
VIU Students Create Proximity Pal: A Wearable Tech Aid for the Visually Impaired
A New Assistive Tech Idea Takes Shape at VIU Vancouver Island University (VIU) students are turning classroom curiosity into a practical tool that could improve safety and independence for people with visual impairments. The Proximity Pal is a compact, chest-worn device designed to act as an early warning system, alerting users to nearby obstacles through…