New Delhi, Jan 14 : In a groundbreaking initiative, the Voice of Specially Abled People (VOSAP) Foundation distributed AI-powered smart glasses to over 300 visually impaired students in Delhi. The event, led by Pranav Desai, a polio survivor and VOSAP’s founder, aimed to enhance accessibility and independence for persons with disabilities.
The smart glasses, designed to aid navigation, read printed text, and recognize objects and faces, promise to revolutionize daily life for the visually impaired. Aditya, a Delhi University postgraduate, highlighted their practical benefits: “Earlier, I needed help finding and sharing documents like my Aadhaar card. Now, I can instruct the device to locate it independently.”
Ankita Gupta, another student, added, “These glasses are invaluable for education since most books are not available in braille. Now we can read printed materials and navigate railway journeys more easily.”
Pranav Desai, also a key figure in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Accessible India Campaign, has championed accessibility reforms for over seven years, empowering more than 30,000 Divyangjan across 24 states. He envisions harnessing assistive technology to contribute $1 trillion to India’s economy by 2047.
Explaining the AI functionality, Pranav said, “The glasses capture images processed through a connected mobile app, delivering information via Bluetooth earplugs. They can read multiple languages, identify surroundings, and provide navigation assistance.”
The event drew visually impaired students, NGOs, and technology advocates, fostering innovation for inclusivity. Taha Nafees, co-founder of Wheel Ease Solutions, showcased Clip Ease, a device that converts manual wheelchairs into electric-powered ones in seconds, promoting greater mobility and independence for users.
