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The world is really taking a huge turn with the introduction of AI. And we are way past just an introduction to it. With rapidity, AI and IoT has been moving towards a next level of advancement, and what makes it stand out? Its level of inclusivity.

It doesn’t need to be mentioned that people with disabilities have very limited accessibility when it comes to education or employment, and face extreme mental and physical exclusion from society.

But Artificial Intelligence can change and completely transform their lives for the better. And if you’re wondering how, keep reading to find out.

Latest AI Technologies for the Disabled

Before getting into the practicality of this technology, let us understand what assistive technology in IoT means. In simple terms, assistive technology refers to the services, methods and practices that help make life easier for people with disabilities by either reducing or by completely eliminating the restrictions and limitations that they face in their day-to-day lives.

And how does this technically happen? AI basically works on processing and analysing the data that is generated by the internet of things. Further, IoT applies artificial intelligence such as machine learning to identify patterns that generate helpful insights and assist in decision-making. The last and most important step is the solution – which is also provided and performed by AI and IoT together. Navigation systems such as voice assistants for the blind and communication systems based on sign language are some good examples.

Now, let us look at some use cases for AI and IoT in helping people with disabilities to get a clear picture of the digital transformation taking place in the world.

• Speech to Text Conversion and Text to Speech Conversion – As the name itself suggests, this AI tool can convert your speech, something you say, into a text and vice versa. So, for example, if someone is visually impaired, they can use speech to text conversion to communicate through devices. Or if someone is speech impaired, they can turn their texts into audio output.
• Speech Recognition – This is a very powerful AI tool that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to interpret spoken languages and follow commands as given. For example, if someone is visually impaired, and they need to make a call, they can simply command the device or tool to make a call to their mother, or whoever they want to. Apart from that, they can also ask this tool to perform other tasks such as to play music, to switch off/turn on lights, make reminder lists, and so on.
• Image and Object Recognition – This technology is used for spotting and positioning objects and images and results in audio output. This can help people with various physical and even mental disabilities.
• Language Translation – This tool allows translation in real time. For someone who is speech impaired, and does not know more than one language, it will be a great deal of help to them. This tool also allows captioning which can be helpful for people with hearing impairment. It can translate any language in a textual structure.

Final Thoughts

Such inclusive digital experiences would not have been possible without the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence, facilitated by the Internet of Things, in today’s world. The amount of accessibility that these inventions provide for people with disabilities is unimaginable. It opens various doors of possibilities and new opportunities for them, that they have been conclusively deprived of, for a very long time, only due to the lack of thought. But no more of that, as AI works on changing lives for the better.