Re: [AI] Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired
Hi, This facility is available on a new device, the Amazon Echo Show, which has a large screen and camera inside. Those of us who have the regular Echo smart speaker only will not be getting this facility and need not be worried, it does not have a camera. The new device is approx.. 22 k on amazon. https://www.amazon.in/Echo-Show-Premium-vibrant-screen/dp/B0793HNP9Z?tag=googinhydr18418-21 Prashant Verma -Original Message- From: AccessIndia On Behalf Of Kotian, H P Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 10:35 AM To: 'AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the disabled.' Subject: Re: [AI] Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired Hi I was of an understanding Echo was essentially a blue-tooth speaker with virtual assistant built-in. Now I figure out it also has a camera. It was listening to the conversation in the room all the time. So, is it also watching visually? Pretty scarry. The feature demonstrated is interesting though although it is also available in many apps. Harish. -Original Message- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of soloman s Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 5:55 AM To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in Subject: [AI] Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired Amazon.com’s virtual assistant just got more intelligent after the company revealed Monday that the visually impaired can now ask it what they are holding. The new feature, called “Show and Tell,” enables customers who are blind or people with low vision to hold an item in front of first- and second-generation Echo Show devices and ask, “Alexa, what am I holding?” or “Alexa, what’s in my hand?” The object will then be identified using Amazon’s machine learning technology. That could be especially helpful for grocery items such as tins and boxes that might be hard to identify properly. As Amazon demonstrated in a video, a blind person asked Alexa what she’s holding and Alexa replied, “It looks like tea.” “The whole idea for Show and Tell came about from feedback from blind and low vision customers,” said Sarah Caplener, who leads Amazon’s Alexa for Everyone team. “We heard that product identification can be a challenge and something customers wanted Alexa’s help with. Whether a customer is sorting through a bag of groceries, or trying to determine what item was left out on the counter, we want to make those moments simpler by helping identify these items and giving customers the information they need in that moment.” Partnering with California-based Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Amazon worked with visually impaired people to understand the problems they have at home and how Alexa could help. One volunteer who is completely blind called the technology “revolutionary,” saying with such devices acting as his eyes, he is much more independent. He said he likes to cook, but without the help of a personal assistant, it’s impossible to know what spice he is holding. In another example, Alexa identifies for him a box of macaroni and cheese. “It’s essential to work with our customers, not just for them, to create something that’s truly helpful,” said Caplener. Article Link: https://siliconangle.noclick_com/2019/09/23/amazons-echo-can-now-help-describe-grocery-items-visually-impaired/ -- With warm regards Solomon S teachs...@gmail.com Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.noclick_com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.noclick_in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Caution: The Reserve Bank of India never sends mails, SMSs or makes calls asking for personal information such as your bank account details, passwords, etc. It never keeps or offers funds to anyone. Please do not respond in any manner to such offers, however official or attractive they may look. Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, use, review, distribution, printing or copying of the information contained in this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly prohibited. If you have received this email by error, please notify us by return e-mail
Re: [AI] Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired
Hi I was of an understanding Echo was essentially a blue-tooth speaker with virtual assistant built-in. Now I figure out it also has a camera. It was listening to the conversation in the room all the time. So, is it also watching visually? Pretty scarry. The feature demonstrated is interesting though although it is also available in many apps. Harish. -Original Message- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of soloman s Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 5:55 AM To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in Subject: [AI] Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired Amazon.com’s virtual assistant just got more intelligent after the company revealed Monday that the visually impaired can now ask it what they are holding. The new feature, called “Show and Tell,” enables customers who are blind or people with low vision to hold an item in front of first- and second-generation Echo Show devices and ask, “Alexa, what am I holding?” or “Alexa, what’s in my hand?” The object will then be identified using Amazon’s machine learning technology. That could be especially helpful for grocery items such as tins and boxes that might be hard to identify properly. As Amazon demonstrated in a video, a blind person asked Alexa what she’s holding and Alexa replied, “It looks like tea.” “The whole idea for Show and Tell came about from feedback from blind and low vision customers,” said Sarah Caplener, who leads Amazon’s Alexa for Everyone team. “We heard that product identification can be a challenge and something customers wanted Alexa’s help with. Whether a customer is sorting through a bag of groceries, or trying to determine what item was left out on the counter, we want to make those moments simpler by helping identify these items and giving customers the information they need in that moment.” Partnering with California-based Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Amazon worked with visually impaired people to understand the problems they have at home and how Alexa could help. One volunteer who is completely blind called the technology “revolutionary,” saying with such devices acting as his eyes, he is much more independent. He said he likes to cook, but without the help of a personal assistant, it’s impossible to know what spice he is holding. In another example, Alexa identifies for him a box of macaroni and cheese. “It’s essential to work with our customers, not just for them, to create something that’s truly helpful,” said Caplener. Article Link: https://siliconangle.noclick_com/2019/09/23/amazons-echo-can-now-help-describe-grocery-items-visually-impaired/ -- With warm regards Solomon S teachs...@gmail.com Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.noclick_com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.noclick_in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Caution: The Reserve Bank of India never sends mails, SMSs or makes calls asking for personal information such as your bank account details, passwords, etc. It never keeps or offers funds to anyone. Please do not respond in any manner to such offers, however official or attractive they may look. Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, use, review, distribution, printing or copying of the information contained in this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly prohibited. If you have received this email by error, please notify us by return e-mail or telephone and immediately and permanently delete the message and any attachments. The recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The Reserve Bank of India accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise
[AI] Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired
Amazon’s Echo can now help describe grocery items to the visually impaired Amazon.com’s virtual assistant just got more intelligent after the company revealed Monday that the visually impaired can now ask it what they are holding. The new feature, called “Show and Tell,” enables customers who are blind or people with low vision to hold an item in front of first- and second-generation Echo Show devices and ask, “Alexa, what am I holding?” or “Alexa, what’s in my hand?” The object will then be identified using Amazon’s machine learning technology. That could be especially helpful for grocery items such as tins and boxes that might be hard to identify properly. As Amazon demonstrated in a video, a blind person asked Alexa what she’s holding and Alexa replied, “It looks like tea.” “The whole idea for Show and Tell came about from feedback from blind and low vision customers,” said Sarah Caplener, who leads Amazon’s Alexa for Everyone team. “We heard that product identification can be a challenge and something customers wanted Alexa’s help with. Whether a customer is sorting through a bag of groceries, or trying to determine what item was left out on the counter, we want to make those moments simpler by helping identify these items and giving customers the information they need in that moment.” Partnering with California-based Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Amazon worked with visually impaired people to understand the problems they have at home and how Alexa could help. One volunteer who is completely blind called the technology “revolutionary,” saying with such devices acting as his eyes, he is much more independent. He said he likes to cook, but without the help of a personal assistant, it’s impossible to know what spice he is holding. In another example, Alexa identifies for him a box of macaroni and cheese. “It’s essential to work with our customers, not just for them, to create something that’s truly helpful,” said Caplener. Article Link: https://siliconangle.com/2019/09/23/amazons-echo-can-now-help-describe-grocery-items-visually-impaired/ -- With warm regards Solomon S teachs...@gmail.com Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
