Visionauta: Free AI App for the Visually Impaired

Author: Jonathan Santos
Published: 2026/02/16
Publication Type: Product Release, Update
Category Topic: Apps - Related Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

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 - Disabled World (DW).

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.

Main Content

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

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.

This image shows three side-by-side Android screenshots of the Visionauta app, a free AI-powered accessibility tool designed to assist people with visual impairments in everyday tasks. Each screen features a clean blue header labeled Visionauta and a prominent purple button reading Ler em voz alta (Read aloud), along with a voice input field for asking questions. The first screenshot displays a close-up of Brazilian real banknotes being held, suggesting money recognition; the second shows a person reading an open book, indicating text-reading assistance; and the third presents a street scene with a sign labeled Rua das Flores, representing navigation or location identification. Together, the screenshots illustrate how the app uses image recognition and text-to-speech functionality to help users interpret currency, read printed materials, and understand their surroundings independently.

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.

Information

App: Visionauta

Price: Free

Platform: Android

Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.alphamob.aie

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 - Disabled World (DW).

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 2026/02/16, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.