Visionauta: Free AI App for the Visually Impaired
Author: Jonathan Santos
Published: 16 Feb 2026 - Updated: 26 Jun 2026
Publication Type: Product Release, Update
Contents: Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates - Related Publications
Synopsis: This article highlights Visionauta, a free Android app created by Jonathan Santos, a blind software engineer and former Google and Samsung developer, designed to assist people who are blind or have low vision with everyday tasks using artificial intelligence. The app functions as a portable visual assistant, offering features such as text reading, banknote recognition, an electronic magnifier, voice-command object finding, and an AI-powered scene description tool. What makes this story particularly noteworthy is that Santos developed the app from firsthand experience with the daily barriers faced by people with visual impairments, originating the concept during his Master's degree research in Computer Engineering. For seniors experiencing age-related vision loss, individuals who are legally blind, and anyone living with low vision, Visionauta represents a practical and immediately available tool that supports greater independence in navigating routine activities like reading mail, identifying currency, and understanding unfamiliar surroundings.*
At a Glance
- 1 - The app recognizes Brazilian Real, US Dollar, and Euro banknotes.
- 2 - Visionauta offers offline text reading plus an electronic magnifier with high-contrast modes.
- 3 - Santos credits professors Ismar Frango and Nizam Omar for encouraging him to turn his academic project into a community tool.
- Topic Definition: Visionauta
Visionauta is a free, AI-powered Android application built to help people who are blind or have low vision handle the visual demands of everyday life. Acting as a pocket-sized visual assistant, it lets a user simply aim the phone's camera to hear printed text read aloud, recognize currency, locate misplaced objects through voice commands, or ask questions about the scene in front of them and receive a spoken description in return. Created by Jonathan Santos, a blind software engineer who previously worked at Google and Samsung, the app grew out of his own daily experience with visual impairment and his graduate research in Computer Engineering, giving it a practical, lived-in design rather than a purely theoretical one. Available on the Google Play Store at no cost, Visionauta brings together text reading, banknote identification, an electronic magnifier, object finding, and AI scene description in a single tool aimed at supporting greater independence for seniors with age-related vision loss and anyone living with low or no sight.
Introduction
Blind Developer and Former Google Engineer Creates App That Empowers People With Visual Impairments
Jonathan Santos, a blind software engineer who worked at Google and Samsung, launches Visionauta, a free Android app that uses artificial intelligence to help blind and low-vision people with everyday tasks. The app is now available on the Google Play Store.
Visionauta works as a portable visual assistant. Simply point the phone's camera to read text aloud, identify banknotes, find lost objects, or ask questions about the surroundings.
"I created the app I wish I had. As a blind person, I know exactly what the daily barriers are." - Jonathan Santos
The idea emerged during his Master's degree in Computer Engineering at Mackenzie Presbyterian University, in the Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence courses.
"I thank professors Ismar Frango and Nizam Omar, who encouraged me to turn an academic project into a real tool for the community." - Jonathan Santos
Main Content
App Features
The app features include: offline text reading, recognition of Brazilian Real, US Dollar, and Euro banknotes, electronic magnifier with high-contrast modes, voice-command object finder, and an AI assistant that describes scenes and answers questions.
Information
Visionauta is now also available on iOS (App Store), following its successful Android launch. The standout feature on both platforms is Real-Time Conversation - a continuous, natural voice mode where the user talks with the AI, which describes the surroundings and answers questions instantly. The iOS version is fully integrated with VoiceOver.
iOS (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/visionauta/id6780104967
Android (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.alphamob.aie
About the Developer
Jonathan Santos is a software engineer specialized in Artificial Intelligence who worked at Google and Samsung. A researcher and PhD candidate in Computer Engineering at Mackenzie Presbyterian University, he is blind and dedicated to developing accessibility technologies that promote independence for people with visual impairments.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: It is rare to see assistive technology built not just for the disability community but by someone who lives that experience every day. Jonathan Santos brings both elite engineering credentials from Google and Samsung and a deeply personal understanding of what blind and low-vision users actually need, and the result is an app that feels purposeful rather than performative. Visionauta deserves attention not only as a useful accessibility tool but as a reminder that the most meaningful technology solutions often come from those closest to the problem they aim to solve.*Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Jonathan Santos and published on 16 Feb 2026, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.
* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.