Cookie Opt-out option. You may also wish to read How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps.Software provided through this website may use a camera for live image processing, converting the live camera view into sound. Concerning privacy of the observed: this software by default (i.e. in normal use, without explicit requests from the user) does not store or transmit any video or snapshots. Software provided through this website may use location information as part of Google Services, notably The vOICe for Android uses this through Google Maps databases to speak street names and intersections in its "talking locator" option. However, detailed location information is sent only to Google and nowhere else, while the talking locator feature is opt-in.
Note that unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this website, to defeat or circumvent security measures, to engage in fraudulent activities through this website, to negatively impact its performance, or to utilize this website for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in access limitations and criminal prosecution. If monitoring reveals evidence of possible criminal activity, intellectual property theft, abuse or attack, such evidence may be provided to ISPs, affected third parties, and law enforcement personnel, and it may be publicly exposed via this website and other media outlets. Unauthorized content or ad filtering by ISPs and institutions is prohibited and considered abuse of intellectual property and resources.
Disclaimer: Peter B.L. Meijer shall not be responsible and disclaims all liability for any loss, harm, liability, damage (whether direct or consequential) or expense of any nature whatsoever which may be suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to the use of or reliance upon any information, links, software or service provided through this website. Any copyrighted material on this site is in compliance with fair and acceptable use principles established in United States and International copyright law for the purpose of review, study, criticism or news reporting. Peter B.L. Meijer does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites or ads served by third-party advertisers. External links will typically open in a new browser window or tab, and in many cases they are tagged with an external link symbol (
).
The vOICe technology is intended for educational uses, to stimulate academic research,
to learn about vision and to enable training for visual skills and experiences. It is
not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition, and has not
been proven effective or safe for any such purposes. Also, as with any audio-based system,
permanent hearing loss may result when sounds are played at high volume (> 80 dB, OSHA)
for prolonged periods of time. To avoid this or in case of doubt, users of The vOICe
technology are advised to contact a licensed audiologist to establish a safe level for
their setup (80 dB maximum for 24 hours a day according to
OSHA),
while noting that environmental sounds can be partially masked even at a modest volume.
This website does not offer medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and visitors with a
medical problem (e.g., sight loss) should seek medical advice from a licensed physician
or other qualified health care professional.
The vOICe technology does not replace long cane and/or guide dog. Depending on national
law and regulations, usage of The vOICe technology may be subject to approval by an
institutional review board. Also note that The vOICe technology forms a research project,
while software may contain bugs, so there has to be a disclaimer
with respect to any damages or harm that use of this educational software might cause
through inappropriate use, just like you shouldn't attempt to dry your cat in the microwave
oven. Never rely on The vOICe technology for your safety. Getting professional rehabilitation
support, including adequate O&M training support for mobile orientation and mobility use,
is considered extremely important when moving beyond mere educational uses, but even with
that, 100% safety can never be guaranteed. Moreover, any form of machine recognition, such
as OCR for text or AI-based object recognition, depth estimation or scene rendering, may
misinterpret the view and should not be relied upon. Finally, some of the third-party
product information may prove inaccurate, incomplete or outdated as it reflects a best
effort to describe selected developments in a complex and highly dynamic market where
adequate and reliable documentation is often missing or hard to track down.