ScanUp

ScanUp is an NFC-based marking and reading system that focuses on the needs of visually impaired people who want to live an independent day-to-day life. Through a personal contact with someone who is visually impaired, I was introduced to the DBSV, an organization for visually impaired people based in Berlin.

Being visually impaired is confrontation with challenges that someone who is not can only imagine. In the supermarket are many same shape and size that can not be distinguished easily through touch. The same is applicable to folders, clothes and many other things surrounding us every day, they feel all the same and it is hard to distinguish them.

In addition to ideation sketches, the colorful storyboard illustrates the interaction process as I envisioned it. The device reads a future supermarket tag and speaks the information aloud. This information is then written onto an NFC tag that can be attached to the purchased item, allowing it to be identified at home and supporting a more independent lifestyle. Although NFC tags are relatively new to the consumer market, the underlying technology has been established for quite some time. One of their key advantages is that they do not require electricity, making them highly robust and durable. NFC tags can be applied to a wide range of objects, including clothing and items used in outdoor or wet environments. They are available in many forms, are inexpensive, and come in a wide variety of shapes and use cases.

In the future, I would like to develop a fully designed prototype; the images below show some of the inspiration I found online. I am interested in exploring, together with the target group, whether the device could be worn on the wrist like a watch or integrated with smartphone sensors and resources that many blind and visually impaired people already use. In this scenario, the device itself could be significantly reduced in size and would also require less energy.

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