CMI Awards $25K to Advance FingerSight Development

In 2019 the Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) provided a $25,000 grant for the development of an electronic vision aid, FingerSight, in a collaboration between researchers of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. George Stetten, MD, PhD, professor of bioenengineering in the Swanson School of Engineering, is leading the development team. The device is a finger-mounted sensor which can be aimed at objects to help the wearer locate them with haptic (vibrational) feedback. Though the FingerSight had been in development for some time, the funding from the CMI helped the team advance the sensing and feedback capabilities of the device. New to the FingerSight were computer vision algorithms for better object detection and a ring of four small vibrating discs worn on the finger which indicate the direction of the target (up, down, left, or right). For future improvements, the team would like the FingerSight to be able to track moving targets, which would help users perform more complex tasks.