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Product Comparison: OrCam VS Seeing A.I.

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The OrCam camera on some glasses.

We at iAccessibility, from time to time,  like to compare two products  to see which one is more practical, and which one works best. Today, we decided to take a look at Seeing AI and OrCam, as both of these products have similar features, but different form factors. Lets start with going over each product and what it can accomplish.

OrCam MyEye

The OrCam MyEye is a fantastic product that is basically a camera  mounted on standard glasses. It lets the user look at things like text, products, faces, and colors, and the MyEye will attempt to convert what is seen into spoken output.

OCR

The MyEye contains two forms of OCR. The OrCam user can press a button, which will read text aloud to the user. The user can also point at text with their index finger to have OrCam read specific areas on a page.

Products

The MyEye has the ability to scan product bar codes. This will allow the device to identify labeled products, from foods to personal care items and more.

Colors

One of the more interesting features of the MyEye device is the fact that it can detect colors. The user can point at a surface without text to find out what the color is. The spectrum of color that the device can identify is quite extensive compared to Seeing AI.

Faces

The OrCam MyEye lets a user take a picture of a person’s face. Once this is done, the MyEye can determine which faces are in the room. This feature does require the person to record the name of the displayed face beforehand.

Summary

The MyEye from OrCam is a great device for accurate OCR. It is a stand alone device, and works really well. The downside:  The price comes in at over $3000 for the MyEye, and $2000 for the MyReader, which only supports OCR features.

Seeing AI from Microsoft

Seeing AI is an app in the iOS app store that lets users complete many of the same tasks as the OrCam MyEye, but with a few differences.

Short Text OCR

Seeing AI has a fascinating mode called short text, which will let the user read anything visible in the camera’s view. This also means that the app will reset speech if the text is moved to much out of the viewfinder, causing some frustration for users. However, this mode is extremely speedy and accurate, allowing a user to go through a large volume of small documents, like mail, rapidly.

Document OCR

The document channel lets the user scan traditional, longer, documents into Seeing AI for reading or saving. One must simply hold the page near the camera to scan a document. Seeing AI will help you align the document before it scans a page. It will ask the user to hold still once they have aligned the page properly, and it will take the picture. Some users have found, though, that the document recognition is not as good as the short text mode or other apps.

Product

Like the OrCam MyEye, the Seeing AI app lets users scan bar codes. The difference here is that Seeing AI pulls its product data from an online resource. The app provides tone feedback to allow the user to bring the barcode into focus before scanning. The picture is automatically taken at the proper time.

Facial Recognition

Seeing AI will let the user detect a person’s face after pictures have been taken and recorded in the app of that person. Seeing AI will also tell you information about the person, and of how many people are in the viewfinder. The downside to this feature is that the information provided, such as age and gender, is not always accurate, but Microsoft is still making improvements to the app.

Scene (Beta)

One of the most interesting features of Seeing AI is the scene channel of the app, which lets the user know what is in the immediate environment. Keep in mind when you use this channel, that it may not be the most accurate, since it is in beta.

Currency Reader (Beta)

Seeing AI will let the user read various currencies. Simply put the currency under the camera, and Seeing AI will automatically recognize it.

Color (Beta)

Seeing AI now comes with a color detection mode. It basically only recognizes primary colors at this point, but is effective

Handwriting (Beta)

Seeing Ai has an amazing new feature called Handwriting. This channel lets the user scan handwritten text and Seeing AI will read it out loud. This has been the best handwriting scanning I have personally seen in an app.

Light detection

Seeing AI’s last channel is the ability to detect the amount of light that is in a room. Users will hear a lower pitch tone for low light, and a higher tone for bright light.

Conclusion

The OrCam MyEye is an amazing portable device that works on its own without the need for a smartphone. While the services offered are great, I find the $3000 price tag to be a bit steep compared to the free price tag of Seeing AI. I would also have to say that OrCam provides a standard user experience while Seeing AI can vary based on which device the user is using. With that said, Seeing AI does offer more services with the light detection, handwriting, currency and scene channels. If you are looking for a stand alone device, and money is not an issue, then OrCam is right for you, but I think most users will find that Seeing Ai provides similar functionalities built right into the device they carry with them every day. I personally just wish that Seeing AI would make its way to Android.

#iACast 61: All These Devices!

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On this episode of the iA Cast, Aleeha, Michael, and Jason discuss all of the latest devices announced for this holiday season and what everyone would like to get their hands on.

Apple

Amazon

Google

Microsoft

Other

iA CodeCast 1: Hello World!

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iAccessibility App Development

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Hello World! This is the first episode of an all new show from iAccessibility where we discuss all things code. On this episode we discuss the basics of coding and how to get started.

Text Editors

Integrated Developer Environments

Education

Programming Challenge

Each episode we post a new programming challenge that you can submit to us by joining the iACoders mailing list. Simply send an email to iacoders-join@iaccessibility.net. You will need to confirm your email address, which may be in your spam folder after you join.

This week’s challenge is to build a hello world application that says Hello World. The app will then ask the user their name and then Print the person’s name back out after the word Hello. You will need to use code to print items to the screen, use variables, and request user information. You may use whatever language you like to make this solution, but do not put compiled code in the list.

 

#iACast DemoCast 11 – Scanning App Showdown

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On this episode of the iA DemoCast, Aleeha demonstrates the following apps for scanning print to digital text as OCR. Find out which apps work the best on different forms of text.

Apps used

#iACast 53 – AI Cast

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On this episode of the iA Cast, Michael, Aleeha, Jason, Matt, Anne and Meaghan discuss the current status of artificial intelligence in consumer technology products.

AI Topics Include

#iACast 49 – Post #NFB17 round up

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On this episode of the iA Cast, Aleeha, Jason, Matt and Michael discuss what everybody found to be most interesting at the 2017 National Federation of the Blind annual convention. Topics include:

#iACast DemoCast 9 – Seeing AI: Talking Camera for the Blind.

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Seeing AI icon

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On this episode of the iA DemoCast, Matt Dierckens demonstrates the new and amazing Seeing AI app from Microsoft. This demos shows how to set up the app and start using it with all of the channels that the app provides.

App Features

  • Short text OCR that updates as you move the camera
  • Document OCR. This channel is much like KNFBReader and Prizmo
  • Product scan which lets you scan a bar code to identify a product.
  • Facial Recognition lets you detect who is in the room and how many faces are in the camera’s viewfinder. It will also attempt to tell you the person’s facial expressions.
  • Scene Beta lets you detect what is in a room or environment. This section is still in beta, so it will continue to improve.

Links

Seeing AI | Talking camera app for those with a visual impairment

Seeing AI: Talking Camera for the Blind on the App Store

#iACast 41 – I’m Always serious about the Windows 10 Creators Update

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Windows 10 Creators Update supported Devices

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On this episode of the iA Cast Aleeha Jason and Michael discuss the Microsoft’s latest update to Windows 10 which is called the Windows 10 Creators Update. Here is what we covered during the episode.

  • Microsoft adds accessible installation of Windows through Narrator
  • Narrator gets Braille support for corded Braille Displays
  • Microsoft adds new voices to Narrator
  • Cortana is added to the Windows setup process for voice enabled setup

During the podcast, we also discuss bugs we have found during the creators update process.

  • Michael found issues with HDMI in games on ASUS ROG G752VL laptop along with touchpad driver issues
  • Aleeha had issues with the keyboard not keeping up with letters being typed and letters would appear in the wrong order. This bug appears to have been fixed in a later Insider patch.

Learn about the Microsoft Windows 10 Creators Update in full detail.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the iA Cast. Please leave us feedback at feedback@iaccessibility.net or on Twitter at @iAccessibility1

Tactile Will Translate Text to Refreshable Braille

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Tactile Device Prototype

If you listen to the IA cast, you’ll probably remember me mentioning something about a device called Tactile. But what is it, and why am I excited about it? Read on to find out.

What Is Tactile?

Tactile is a device in development by six MIT students. Chandani Doshi, Jialin Shi, Bonnie Wang, Charlene Xia, Tania Yu, and Grace Li. The idea is that Tactile, by way of a camera, will translate print into braille. It will be about the size of a Candy bar, have thirty-six cells, and they hope to have it cost around one-hundred dollars.

Here’s How it Would Work.

You’d slide the device over printed text, such as that found on a book, a restaurant menu, or a packaging label, etc. The camera captures images of the words and sends them to a micro controller. Then, text recognition is performed. The information from the images taken by the camera, would cause the pins in the display to move via an “electromagnetic activation mechanism.” Just like other Braille displays, the Braille characters would refresh as you scroll or pan through sections of text.

The Effect on the Assistive Technology Field.

I think the idea of Tactile is really exciting, both for real reasons, as well as my own ideas. Let’s start with actual reasons. As all of us are aware, buying a Braille Display isn’t exactly cheep. While that’s starting to change with displays like the Orbit Reader 20, the projected price point of Tactile is even lower, and it would give you the ability to read print. Unlike apps like KNFB Reader, which I love by the way, Tactile would be a dedicated device, that can give you more than KNFB Reader can on it’s own. Braille, and for about the same price. I can see Tactile starting, or helping push forward, a lower cost Braille display revolution, which would not only give us more affordable options, but start manufacturers competing on a more unique feature set. This could only be a good thing for us as consumers. This brings me to my ideas. Keep in mind that I don’t really have evidence to support them, and they are my own. So I’ve talked about Tactile translating print into Braille. That, we know. But I’d like to see it become a Full fledged braille display, with USB and Bluetooth support in the future. I’d like to see it have support for screen readers across all platforms so that anyone using Narrator, NVDA, JAWS, or any other screen reader and windows, could have access to affordable Braille. The same would be true for VoiceOver users on the Mac and Apple’s other iDevices, Android users, people who use Orca in Linux, and any other screen reader and OS combo I’ve not mentioned here. Having cursor routing buttons and a braille keyboard for input would be amazing as well. But Even as it is, I can see Tactile starting a trend the Braille display market hasn’t seen in thirty years.

Want To Learn More?

You can find out some great information about Tactile and the team behind it by checking out this Mashable article. You can also check out a great Podcast from Cool Blind Tech where they’re interviewing Charlene Xia.

Conclusion

I wish Team Tactile the best of luck in bringing there device to market. But even if it doesn’t happen, the idea is still out there, and they’ve already proven that it’s possible. What do you think? Let us know on FaceBook, Twitter, and everywhere else you can find us around the web.

#iACast 38 – Game On!

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For the longest time, games have not been accessible for blind and low vision users. Today, gamers have more choice in what games they play, and Michael Chad and Aleeha discuss their preferences in games on this episode of the iACast.

During this podcast episode, we discuss progress made by AbleGamers and how other game companies are making games accessible. We discuss how games could be more accessible, and we encourage everyone to contact game developers and discuss how much they want games to become accessible.

Game console text to speech was discussed in this episode and how this feature has allowed gamers to navigate the Xbox and the PlayStation consoles to buy and play games.

Useful Gaming Links

We hope you have enjoyed this episode of the iACast. Please leave us feedback at feedback@iaccessibility.net or on twitter at @iaccessibility1

#iACast 35 – Hands Free Purchasing Power

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Welcome to our latest episode of the iA Cast. This week we discuss the following topics.

We will have one more episode this week and then we will have new content fresh from the CSUN 2017 conference

We are looking for new ways to bring you into the conversation, and we encourage people to join us for the podcast recording on TeamTalk at teamtalk.iaccessibility.net. We only ask that you mute while we record the podcast.

We hope that you have enjoyed this episode. Please email us at feedback@iaccessibility.net for suggestions or to leave comments or feedbac.

#iACast 27 – Backdoor

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Hello, and welcome to another delayed edition of our podcast! We are hopeful that our schedule will be a little more regular soon, so we hope you all are sticking with us. In this episode, which was recorded on November 16, 2016, we cover the following topics:

  • A Backdoor to ChinaHow would you feel if you found out that your text messages, location data, and private information were being sent to China for analysis? Unfortunately, if you own a cheaper android phone, or if you are an international customer, this could be a reality for you. The worst part is you may never know if your phone is affected, and the software that does this was put there on purpose by the manufacturer. Whoa!Your User Data is Secretly Sent to China Through a Backdoor on Some US Android Phones
  • Microsoft Joins Linux FoundationThis surprised a few members of our team. Apparently, Microsoft is reversing course on its opinion of Linux. This is especially interesting, because some of Microsoft’s choices still contradict the choice to join the Linux Foundation. We think it will be interesting to see what the future holds in this regard.Microsoft – Yes, Microsoft – Joins the Linux Foundation
  • Visual Studio Invades the MacNow developers can develop cross-platform applications using Visual Studio on macOS. Although our group finds Xcode to be the best IDE for developing Mac and iOS apps, we believe choice is always good. Hopefully this will allow more developers more flexibility in how and which operating system they use while developing apps.Announcing the new Visual Studio for Mac
  • MacBook Pro with Touch Bar ReviewsIt’s all pretty mixed! Some think the Touch Bar is useful, while others think a touch screen would make more sense. We believe the usefulness of the Touch Bar depends on how you use your computer, and which apps support it. We think it will become more useful over time as mor uses are found for it, and the price will decrease as well. You should definitely feel free to check out reviews online, and if you have a store nearby, check out these new machines in an Apple Store.The Reviews are in — Here’s What People are Saying About Apple’s Latest Laptop
  • First Impressions of Apple’s AirPodsWhat will it be like to use the long-awaited Airpods? What is latency like? Will they work well with VoiceOver? Well, most of us have yet to find out any of this first-hand, since the AirPods have not been released! However, lucky members of the media have been testing AirPods, and we have read a little information from one of our favorite websites, iMore. Here’s the link!AirPods First Impressions
  • We’re All About the TV AppListen to us discuss what it’s like to use theupcoming TV app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. We think this is a great addition to our TV-watching experience. We find it frustrating that some services, like Netflix, refuse to participate. However, it’s a great start, and we can’t wait to see how it improves in the near future.3 Ways Apple’s New TV App Will Change the Viewing Experience on Apple TV
  • Prevention is Always Better Than Reaction: Twitter is Finally Getting the PictureFinally, Twitter is introducing new features to help users prevent abuse. Muting keywords, usernames, and conversations is now a little easier. We think this is a good step in the right direction, but that Twitter should be doing more to help users have a more positive experience on the social network.Twitter is Adding New Filtering Tools in an Effort to Curb Abuse
  • Is the Google Home worth Ditching the Echo?On our website, you will find Rich’s impressions of the new Google Home smart speaker. He immediately returned his. Would you have done the same? Do you think it replaces the Amazon Echo? Overall, we think it sounds neat, but it is very much a first-generation product. We think it could still be an option for users who are in the Google ecosystem, but if the Echo meets your needs, we recommend sticking with Alexa.Google Home First impressions
  • VO Starter – Public Beta!We welcome anyone who wants to join us in testing version 3.0 of the VO Starter application for iOS. It is a great resource for blind an low vision users who are new to iOS, and you could help us help them learn to use VoiceOver.VO Starter 3.0 Public Beta

Thank you all for checking out our podcast! Please share it with others, and tweet using the hashtag #IACast. Please visit us online at iaccessibility.net, and check out all we have to offer!

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