ViSparsh：让盲人丢掉手杖

Among many health-care-related challenges facing developing countries, visual impairment remains a major issue. Some technology entrepreneurs are coming up with new ideas for products that could have an impact on the lives of blind people.

在发展中国家面临的诸多与医疗保健有关的挑战中，视力障碍仍是一个主要问题。一些科技创业家正想方设法研究能为盲人的生活带来便利的产品。

Globally, the number of visually impaired people, either partially or completely, is estimated at 285 million, according to the World Health Organization. More than 90% of visually impaired people live in developing countries, the WHO data show. Common causes of visual impairment are myopia, astigmatism, cataracts and glaucoma.

据世界卫生组织(World Health Organization)的统计，全球范围内视力受损的人（包括部分和完全受损）估计有2.85亿。世卫组织的数据显示，有超过90%的视障人群生活在发展中国家。造成视力障碍的常见原因有近视、散光、白内障和青光眼等。

Visually impaired people in developing countries usually rely on basic walking canes to detect obstacles around them. While there are technologically advanced walking canes─such as those equipped with ultrasonic sensors or laser technology─some young engineers are trying to provide blind people with alternatives to canes.

一般来说，发展中国家的视障人群依赖普通手杖来“发现周围的障碍物。如今，尽管有了技术更为先进的手杖（如配备了超声波传感器或雷达技术），一些年轻的工程技术人员仍正努力为盲人提供手杖之外的其它选择。

In India, the inspiration for a new device that helps blind people walk safely came from a motion-sensing technology used for videogames.

在印度，帮助盲人安全行走的一个新产品的发明灵感来自视频游戏中采用的体感技术。

A team of three young Indian engineers─Jatin Sharma, Tushar Chugh and Rolly Seth─has designed viSparsh, a waist belt that helps a blind person avoid obstacles that are on and above the ground.

沙玛(Jatin Sharma)、楚夫(Tushar Chugh)和赛斯(Rolly Seth)这三位年轻的印度工程师共同设计了viSparsh。这是一种腰带，可帮助盲人避开地面和地面之上的障碍物。

ViSparsh, one of the 12 finalists in The Wall Street Journal's Asian Innovation Awards, employs the sensor technology used in Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT +0.21%Kinect, an accessory for the U.S. company's Xbox 360 videogame console that enables people to play games using their body movements and gestures instead of hand-held controllers.

ViSparsh是入围《华尔街日报》“亚洲创新奖(Asian Innovation Awards)的12件决赛作品之一，采用的是微软公司(Microsoft Corp.)动作感应操作系统Kinect中的感应技术。Kinect是该公司视频游戏机Xbox 360的配件，通过它人们可利用肢体动作和手势来玩游戏，而不必使用手柄。

The three engineers, who met through an academic fellowship program, started developing viSparsh a year ago and showcased a prototype at Microsoft's annual developer conference in Bangalore in March. In May, Microsoft hired them as full-time employees. Still, the engineers maintain their sole ownership of the viSparsh project, which will license out the sensor technology used in Kinect.

这三位工程师通过一个学术性奖学金项目相互认识，三年前开始研发viSparsh，并在微软今年3月于印度班加罗尔召开的年度开发者大会上展示了这个产品的原型机。5月，微软聘他们为全职员工。尽管如此，这些工程师仍拥有viSparsh项目的独家所有权。这个项目将通过技术许可的方式获得Kinect的技术。

The belt-like device has an infrared optic sensor that can detect obstacles as distant as 3.7 meters, the engineers say. The device was designed to immediately grasp the direction and distance of the object, and alerts the user by sending vibration signals from either the left, center or right part of the belt depending on where the obstacle is.

三位工程师说，这个类似腰带的产品有个红外光学传感器，可探测到3.7米范围内的障碍物。这个发明旨在立即掌握物体的方位和距离，然后根据物体的位置从腰带的左、中或右方发出震动信号，提醒佩戴者注意。

The three engineers are now working on reducing the size of viSparsh and increasing its efficiency. Mr. Chugh, one of the engineers, says it will take another eight months before the product hits the market.

三位工程师现正努力研究如何缩小viSparsh的大小并提高效能。楚夫说，还需要八个月产品才会上市。

Devices such as viSparsh cannot be a substitute for human vision, but 'they can break down the barriers for blind people,' says Sandeep Kaler, a project manager at the information-technology unit of the National Association for the Blind, an Indian nonprofit aimed at empowering the blind through education and training. More than 95% of blind people in India currently use basic walking canes, according to Mr. Kaler.

印度非营利组织国家盲人协会(National Association for the Blind)信息技术部项目经理卡勒(Sandeep Kaler )说，viSparsh这样的产品无法替代人的视觉，但可以为盲人标识出障碍物。该协会的宗旨是通过教育和培训为盲人拓展空间。卡勒表示，印度有超过95%的盲人目前使用的都是普通手杖。

In India, viSparsh isn't the only attempt to create new devices that can help the blind navigate the streets more safely. One product that is being developed is the Smartcane, a white walking cane that uses ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles up to three meters and sends vibratory signals to the user. The device was designed by a group of students at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, and the institute now runs the project with industrial partners.

viSparsh不是印度国内发明此类新产品的唯一尝试，这些产品可帮助盲人更安全地通过街道。目前正处于研发阶段的一个产品是智能手杖(Smartcane)。这根白色手杖可利用超声波传感器探测三米之内的障碍物，然后向使用者发送震动信号。该产品由印度理工学院(Indian Institute of Technology)的一群学生设计，现在这个项目由该学院和工业伙伴共同负责。

The Smartcane, powered by a rechargeable battery similar to those used in mobile phones and digital cameras, will cost about 2,000 rupees ($38), according to M. Balakrishnan, a professor at the computer science and engineering department of IIT Delhi, who mentored the students behind the Smartcane project. It is scheduled to hit the market next summer.

印度理工学院计算机科学与工程系教授、智能手杖项目的学生导师巴拉克瑞斯南(M. Balakrishnan)表示，智能手杖将以约2,000卢比（合38美元）的价格出售。这个手杖由类似于手机和数码相机中的充电电池驱动，计划明年夏天上市。

At present, viSparsh, which isn't yet available to consumers, would cost more than the Smartcane. Mr. Chugh says the product will initially cost 8,000 rupees to 9,000 rupees. But, the viSparsh team is seeking aids and grants from governments and corporate sponsors to bring down the price to 4,000 rupees or less. If the device can be mass-produced, its prices would go down even further, he says.

还没有向消费者普及的viSparsh届时的售价将超过智能手杖。楚夫说，viSparsh最初的售价将在8,000卢比至9,000卢比之间。但研发团队目前正在设法获取政府补贴和企业赞助，希望借此能将价格压至4,000卢比或更低。他说，如果能量产，价格还能再低。

A major advantage of viSparsh, compared with cane-like devices such as the Smartcane, is that it frees up the user's hands, says Mohammed Waseem, a former employee of the National Association for the Blind who tested viSparsh earlier this year. Mr. Waseem says he hasn't signed any agreement with team to promote viSparsh belt, nor is he being paid for it.

印度国家盲人协会的前雇员瓦萨穆(Mohammed Waseem)说，相比智能手杖等拐杖类产品，viSparsh的一大优点是解放了使用者的双手。瓦萨穆今年早些时候对viSparsh进行了测评。他说，自己还没有与团队签署任何宣传viSparsh腰带的协议，自己也没有为此收取报酬。

The idea of developing a belt-like device instead of a cane is based on Mr. Chugh's observation that many blind people don't like using canes because they want to look as normal as possible. 'It will not just be a technological change, it will also be a cultural change,' Mr. Chugh said.

当初之所以想到要研发腰带产品而不是手杖，是因为楚夫发现，很多盲人并不喜欢使用手杖，他们希望自己看起来跟正常人一样。楚夫说，这不光是技术层面的变革，也是文化方面的变革。