TapTapSee Camera App for Visually Impaired

Introduction

TapTapSee is an application that has been designed to assist people who are visually impaired and members of the blind community to identify items they encounter in daily life. After a person has taken a picture of an item that is in front of them, the application identifies it and speaks the identification of the object back to the person. The application also features instant recognition of all American paper currency, a real bonus.

Main Digest

While my vision is impaired and I do wear glasses that are fairly thick and have bifocal lenses, there are others in the world who experience vision that requires assistance from others to identify objects. Without my glasses I can see items in front of me for about one foot. Others have difficulties with viewing items even at this distance. The TapTapSee application can be a truly helpful one and is designed to work with an iPhone. To use spoken identification of an object, you have to have, 'VoiceOver,' turned on.

The greatest benefit of the application is that it was designed specifically for people who experience vision impairment and those who are blind. For example, people from these populations might look at two different pairs of pants and not have the ability to distinguish between the colors of the clothing. With the TapTapSee application, telling which colors they are is easier and possible.

The application is simple to use, another benefit. All a person really has to do to use TapTapSee is take a photograph of something they wish to identify. The application processes the photograph and then tell them what it is they have taken a picture of. The application simply works - whether you have taken a picture of a shirt, a plate, or a chair. At this time, the application has the ability to identify American currency, but cannot unfortunately identify other types of currency.

An Internet connection is required for the application to work because it compares the photograph a person has taken of an object with a large online database to find out what the object is. 'Pipa,' a person with a visual impairment, recently commented on their use of TapTapSee:

"I found this application by complete accident. I typed Braille into the search bar in the AppStore app on my iPhone and scrolled through the results. When this come up I thought 'Another useless fake app like night vision apps'. However, I took a picture of my living-room and it said Living Room Area. I took a photograph of my TV it said Flat-Screen Television. I gave it harder things, such as a bottle of E45 lotion, for which it said, 'E45 Lotion'! Admittedly this worked because I had the front label in the shot. With a non-cylindrical item, you may need to take a couple of shots to get there, but you will eventually."

Pipa also stated that a recent update to the application has given TapTapSee the ability to use a repeat button and auto flash in low lighting. The application uses VoiceOver to announce the results of the image to you. While the application does not process fast enough for numbers on a bus, it is good for items around the house, as well as reading the print on signs. Pipa really likes TapTapSee and recommends it.

TapTapSee Compatibility

TapTapSee is a native iPod Touch and iPhone application and is displayed in 2x mode on an iPad.

The devices the application was tested on include the iPhone 4. People are really having fun with TapTapSee; it is easy to use and there are only two buttons involved with it - the, 'About,' and the, 'Take Picture,' buttons.

The one issue a person has reported is an inability to recall a prior result. Apparently, you cannot share the information and you do not have a way of repeating your results.

TapTapSee Improvements

The TapTapSee application has gone through some different improvements as various versions of it have continued to appear.

Version 1.0.1 found the application receiving improved performance and fixed bugs, while version 1.1 found more bugs being fixed related to the counter not tracking images appropriately, an, 'about view,' privacy policy, and the removal of a bottom banner to avoid confusion with, 'tap,' behavior.

Version 1.2 found the application adding a, 'repeat,' button that repeats the last spoken result, automatically turning on the camera flash in low lighting conditions, as well as a message being displayed when VoiceOver is not turned on.

In version 1.3 of TapTapSee a, 'beep,' was added related to focus lock to help with focusing. Better flash behavior to expose pictures properly, as well as a fix for crashes on devices without flash were added. Version 1.4 of TapTapSee has better network handling and sends images faster and more efficiently.

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Cite This Page (APA): Langtree, I. C. (2013, March 9 - Last revised: 2022, February 9). TapTapSee Camera App for Visually Impaired. Disabled World. Retrieved September 14, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/apps/taptapsee.php

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