‘Talking glasses’ allow Israel’s blind to cast votes unassisted

A visually impaired man walks with a woman at an accessible polling station as Israelis vote in a parliamentary election at the Multi-Service Center for the Blinds in Jerusalem April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

JERUSALEM: Voters in Israel's election who are blind and visually impaired cast their ballots unassisted on April 9 thanks to a local invention that "read" the options out loud for them.

The smart-camera device, by Israeli hi-tech firm OrCam, is tacked onto the stem of spectacles and dictates into the wearer's ear what is written before him or her. It can also scan barcodes and be programmed to recognise faces.