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“ Today , our goal is to make the internet services accessible to the visually impaired and allow them to use a smartphone in a simple and intuitive way that even a sighted user would want to use our product .”
The team at Gestures has developed a unique and innovative user interface that combines a personal assistant feature and the use of gestures and voice commands for browsing websites .
With natural language processing ( NLP ) technology and machine learning models , the application allows for maximum user adaptation and the development of a smart system for the simplest , most efficient web use possible .
As of today , the company is still refining the app , with the user interface patent pending . However , the company even closed an order for their app with one of the leading blind associations in Israel .
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Gestures up is looking for the right connections for partnerships , collaborations , and investments that will advance our mission of realizing this technological solution .”
How did Eyar get to the point where he is developing technologies for the visually impaired ?
Eyar had his first introduction to the challenges of the visually impaired while studying behavioral sciences and psychology at the College of Management in Israel . During his research methods class as he was investigating municipal traffic light communication , his future business partner shared with him how someone in his family was going blind . This family member was doubting his career progression and family life , let alone his own difficulty of leading everyday interactions . In hearing the difficulty of going blind , Eyar was intrigued to learn more about how he could help .
Turning the negative into a positive , Eyar and his partner chose to shift directions from traffic lights and focus their research on what solutions and technologies existed for the visually impaired . Eyar was shocked to learn just how little blind infrastructure and technological innovations exist for these people . “ There is a major problem for blind people , both in the house , and outside of the house , using the web … life is truly difficult at times for them ”.
As part of his research , Eyar met with dozens of visually impaired men and women , ages 16-80 , throughout Israel , to learn about the challenges these people face in their houses , in the external environment , and specifically , in using mobile phones and the web .
“ We really wanted to understand these people ’ s pain points and get to the core of the issues ,” Shtabinski emphasizes , “ in this way , we could provide a more comprehensive solution for the end user ”
Eyar ’ s goal is to develop an app that is easy and intuitive for a blind person to use from the moment they download it . The artificial intelligence ( AI ) component helps simplify the process even further . The system even allows the user to create vocal and gesture shortcuts to help shorten activities and to help bring users the content they want , without excess information overload . Gestures is closing the gap and bringing a more accessible future for visually impaired internet surfing .