From indoor mapping systems to smart braille devices that make images ‘touchable’, the world’s latest life-changing technology giving independence to people who are blind or vision impaired will be on show at this week’s TechFest event, hosted by the Royal Society for the Blind (RSB).
Bringing together world-leading manufacturers, medical professionals, and end-users/wearers, attendees will have the chance to try more than 90 assistive technology products at the event, to explore the transformational impact it could have on their life.
Executive Director of RSB Damian Papps said the technology helps people who are blind, vision impaired, or have a print disability, like dyslexia or English as a second language, gain independence.
“Assistive technology is a powerful enabler, giving people with vision impairment or print disability the independence to manage things like their own medication or financial affairs,” Damian said.
“In the past few years, assistive wearable technology, phones, and apps have made life so much more accessible for people with low vision, helping them live life the way they want. “Each year, the technological developments made in this space are truly astounding and open up so many opportunities for our clients, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring this world-leading technology right here to Adelaide.” Some of the ground-breaking products on display at RSB TechFest include the Commonwealth Bank’s new Smart Eftpos terminal, BindiMaps, a mobile app that locates users precisely in indoor spaces to assist with navigation, and DotPad, which represents images as tactile graphics when connected to a device. One of the most anticipated pieces of new technology on display will be the eSight 4, a leading ‘all-in-one’ device for people with visual impairment. With the support of RSB, Ethan Pridham, a nine-year-old from Munno Para who has Oculocutaneous Albinism, recently travelled to Legoland in Melbourne to try out the new eSight 4 device for himself. Clinically proven to enhance sight through a combination of camera and lens technology designed to stimulate the brain, the eSight 4 allowed Ethan to see much finer detail than he usually could, by magnifying and improving the contrast of the Lego bricks and figurines.
“The importance of vision technology such as the eSight4 cannot be overstated for those with vision loss, and the way they see the world around them,” Damian said.
RSB TechFest is being held on Thursday, 23 June, and Friday, 24 June at 212 Pirie Street, Adelaide. For more information about RSB TechFest and to register to attend the event, visit the RSB website. The event will also feature a seminar from Dr. Celia Chen, one of Australia’s most highly regarded ophthalmologists who is speaking about the ways medicine, surgery, and technology are working together for a better quality of life outcomes for people with low vision.
