[ The World Times ] Innovative Technologies for the Visually Impaired

In the U.S., people who are visually impaired carry white canes, which can be easily seen by pedestrians or drivers. The term "white cane," which is regarded as a symbol that refers to the visually impaired, is widely used to indicate any device that helps guide the blind.

 

Animotus is the name of a modern white cane created by Adam Spiers, a researcher at Yale University. It is a navigation device that uses the sense of touch. How can we sense direction with a sense of touch? It is the most developed sense in the visually impaired. Animotus, comprised of two layers, is designed to guide the user as the upper layer moves. For instance, when you need to walk forward, the upper layer moves forward as well. 

 

Eugene Gao, a copywriter based in New York,  developed a navigation system for the blind called Lantern. Gao installed wireless communication devices based on Bluetooth technology called beacons in New York's subway stations, which have helped the visually impaired with navigation. 

 

*impair v. 손상시키다, 악화시키다. / Alcohol can impair your driving ability. 

*impaired a. 손상된, 제 기능을 못하는 / impaired vision, impaired memory

                    (신체적, 정신적으로) 장애가 있는 / hearing-impaired children

                    / Nowadays we say someone is 'speech-impaired', not dumb.

*white cane (시각 장애인이 보행을 위하여 사용하는) 흰지팡이

*cane n. (대나무처럼 속이 빈) 줄기 / 지팡이

*pedestrian n. 보행자 / a. 보행자의, 보행자용의 / pedestrian areas

*refer v. 참조하다, 참고하다, 참조하게 하다 / refer a student to a dictionary

             주목하게 하다, 주목시키다, 나타낸다.  / The asterisk refers the reader to a footnote. The asterisk refers to a footnote. 

*indicate v. 나타내다, 보여주다 / Record profits in the retail market indicate a boom in the economy.

*comprise v.~로 구성되다, 이뤄지다 / The collection comprises 327 paintings.

                    구성하다, 차지하다 / Older people comprise a large proportion of those living in poverty. 

*for instance 예를 들어(= for example) / What would you do, for instance, if you found a member of staff stealing?