'Smart glove' for the visually impaired
Assoc. Prof. Arzu Vuruşkan, Lecturer at Izmir University of Economics (IUE), Department of Textile and Fashion Design, and Ph.D. student Başak Süller Zor started to work on developing "smart gloves" that will enable visually impaired people to easily choose the clothes of the color, style and size they want. The smart glove with the latest technology electronics and camera will assist the visually impaired in many fashion related issues, from clothing combinations to clothing recommendations.
Assoc. Prof. Arzu Vuruşkan from IUE Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Textile and Fashion Design, and Design Studies Ph.D. Program student Başak Süller Zor prepared the project by considering the difficult conditions caused by coronavirus. There will be a camera on the glove, which is aimed to be produced with a light, antibacterial and washable fabric. A software will be created to define the information of thousands of types and colors of clothing and will be recorded in the electronic parts in the glove.
WILL TRANSFER VOICE
When the visually impaired user touches the clothing with the smart glove, the camera will take a picture of it and aloud the color and model of the clothing. It will also list its suggestions on which models will match the selected clothing. The electronic part on the glove can be easily removed. In this way, the glove can be used repeatedly after washing. An application will also be made to TUBITAK for gloves that will make life easier for the visually impaired. The project, which is supported by IUE Faculty of Engineering, will be an example to Turkey.
DAILY ACTIVITIES ARE CHALLENGING
Assoc. Prof. Arzu Vuruşkan shared details about the project they made in connection with the thesis of Ph.D. student Başak Süller Zor. Noting that daily activities such as mobility, communication, education, clothing and shopping are challenging for visually impaired people, Assoc. Prof. Vuruşkan said, “The concept of clothing, which has an important place in the daily life of an individual, turns into a difficult situation for people with vision deficiency or vision loss. They may have problems in choosing appropriate clothes or distinguishing product features such as style, color and size. Often they go through a process that makes it necessary to seek advice from another person.”
USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN
Stating that they met with individuals with different levels of visual impairment and that they attach great importance to visually impaired clothing and design values, Assoc. Prof. Vuruşkan said, “Mobile applications, projects and various prototypes for the visually impaired can be found in the literature. However, while mobile applications may be limited, design and aesthetic values may be secondary in product prototypes. In our project, we aim to develop assistive technology with a user-oriented interface that is aesthetically pleasing the user. We will provide comfort, breathability and hygiene features by using innovative materials in the smart glove that we are currently in the development phase.”
Stating that visually impaired individuals would be able to learn about the characteristics of clothes such as color and pattern with the technological hardware and software integrated into the gloves, Assoc. Prof. Vuruşkan stated that they worked with Asst. Prof. Pınar Oğuz from IUE Faculty of Engineering and her students in the project.
