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Although Braille can help blind people read and write and identify objects easily, in daily life, blind people still encounter many difficult-to-recognize items, such as credit cards in their wallets. GaiShan Technology of Singapore has developed a set of powerful auxiliary tools based on RFID technology, TellMate, for visually impaired people: using passive RFID tags to effectively solve the identification problem.
Blind aid tool TellMate
The founders of GaiShan Technology say that they have conducted a series of tests in Asia, such as using TellMate to select the correct payment card from the wallet when shopping; in massage therapy, sticking RFID tags on massage oils, and then using TellMate to read them one by one , to identify different massage oils, as an aid for blind masseuses,
The TellMate system uses 13.56 MHz, 15693-compliant transponders from NXP Semiconductors. GaiShan Technology has partnered with Singapore-based RFID encapsulator Vanskee to embed inlays into durable paper or plastic labels with reusable strong adhesive strips on the back. Labels affixed to an item can be removed and reused on other items. Labels come in a variety of sizes.
Chin partnered with SkyeTek to embed SkyeTek’s ISO 15693 compliant reader into TellMate handhelds. SkyeTek also helped Chin develop software for reading and appointing tags.
There are three RFID primary function buttons on the TellMate handheld: one to label the item’s introduction with a recording, one to play the recording, and one to stop playback. For example, a user attaches an RFID tag to a credit card, presses the record button on the handheld reader within two centimeters of the tag, and TellMate can start recording an item introduction.
The user can enter any information about the credit card in TellMate: such as the issuing bank of the card, the expiry date and the card number. When identifying a credit card, the user holds the TellMate a few centimeters away from the item, presses the play button, and the TellMate plays the recording associated with the tag. Users can wear headphones to prevent recorded broadcasts; if users do not wish to hear the full recording, they can press a button at any time to stop playback.
If you want to reuse the label, you can do the following: the user first removes the label from the original item and sticks it on a different item; then press the record button to play the original recording of the label; after playing, the user can choose to record another one instead of old recording.
Chin believes that TellMate has great application potential in education for the blind. “If you have a map of the United States with each state printed in Braille,” he explained, “you can also put RFID tags on each state on the map. This way students can use Braille to identify each state. State, and then use TellMate to read the tag and learn more about it, such as state population and major cities.
Chin plans to sell the TellMate system in specialty stores for the blind in Asia, Europe and the United States. Chin hopes the system will be available as soon as possible, and will be priced at $500 in the United States.
Chen said that the difference between TellMate and other RFID devices for the blind is that TellMate is not only used as a reader, it is more like a complete information system. The set includes a full-featured MP3 player and FM Radio receiver that can be signed with stored recorded information including tag recordings; the TellMate can take notes, set reminders, etc., and broadcast time and date.
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