manish kumar
post news network
New Delhi, August 13: For a visually impaired person, spotting an ATM, hospital, hotel or other such facilities even if they are just a stone’s throw away is a task that entails dependence. But a start-up established by a group of Delhi-based techies, one of whom is from Puri, has come out with an app ‘Eye-D’ that can virtually be the eyes and ears for the blind.
According to Shaswat Ranjan Jena, the 24-year-old Puri native who is part of the team, the app can also tell users if someone they know was in their vicinity. “Besides, it can help visually impaired users find their way to office or home and can also help them access the internet,” Shaswat said. The team has also developed a keypad customised for such users so that they can use their smartphones with ease.
Shaswat hails from Durgapur in Puri and completed BTech from Sambalpur University in 2014. He quit his job as a gaming software developer to be part of work that could help the less fortunate sections of society.
“Only a few applications available today are able to help the visually impaired read text on screen. That reduces the benefit of having a smartphone for the blind and makes finding information a time-consuming process for them. We have provided a wide range of features in our app that can help the blind access the internet easily and to make calls,” Shaswat said.
According to the team, the application is available for free download on Android phones and is growing by 600 users each month.
The team has also received 1,400 pre-orders for their yet-to-be launched keypad, designed specially for the blind.
The pilot for the project is to go online this month. The team had started work on the project in August 2014 and approached NGOs working with the visually impaired to meet such persons and find out from then what they expected from mobile apps.
“We learned that there were several literate persons who could easily use computers and smartphones but were deprived of access due to the absence of apps,” Gaurav Mittal (29), the co-founder of the start-up, said.
While the team is happy with the response they have received from users, it is also worried that it will need more funds to continue with the project.
“We are trying to develop the app further by adding more features. But many good hands on our team have left us we are facing a funds crunch in taking up further development. We hope to receive some funding to support our work,” Gaurav said.
