COLOGNE: The sighted often take their vision for granted. But for those who are blind, views are something they miss in their experience of the world.
Until now, that is.
Ford is developing a prototype smart car window that aims to allow the blind or partially-sighted people to visualise passing scenery through touch.
"Feel The View" takes pictures that are turned into high-contrast monochrome images. These are then reproduced on the glass using special LEDs. By touching the image, different shades of grey vibrate with a range of 255 intensities, allowing passengers to touch the scene and rebuild in their mind the landscape in front of them.
Feel The View was conceived and developed by Ford's team in Italy and GTB Roma, in collaboration with Aedo – a local start-up that specialises in devices for the visually impaired.
“We seek to make people’s lives better and this was a fantastic opportunity to help blind passengers experience a great aspect of driving," said Ford Italy spokesman Marco Alù Saffi.
"The technology is advanced, but the concept is simple – and could turn mundane journeys into truly memorable ones."
