NEW YORK—The Be My Eyes app is making life easier for the blind by connecting them with sighted helpers through a smartphone app. Through a direct video call, the app gives blind people the opportunity to ask a sighted volunteer for help with tasks that require normal vision. The system is built as a shuffle-call system that forwards the call until answered, establishing a connection to the first available helper.
The blind person “borrows” the helper’s eyes all through his or her smartphone. The sighted helper is able to see and describe what the blind person is showing the sighted helper by filming with the video camera in the smartphone.
The idea behind Be My Eyes originates from Hans Jorgen Wiberg, a furniture craftsman from Denmark who started losing his vision when he was 25 years old. “It only takes a few minutes to help and the app is a good opportunity for the busy, modern individual with the energy to help others,” the inventor said.
The app has been well received by the blind community. John Heilbrunn, himself blind and vice chairman of the Danish Association of the Blind said, “The app makes it possible to get help at times where it might be inconvenient to get help from neighbors or friends.”
The Be My Eyes app is free and available in the AppStore.