In the wave of technological innovation, Hong Kong startup Vidi Labs has launched a groundbreaking device—Seekr, a cutting-edge tool that is set to completely transform the lives of visually impaired individuals.
This device, no larger than a matchbox, is not just a simple assistive tool, but a pair of "smart eyes" that can "speak." Its creation stems from a warm yet slightly bittersweet story: during the pandemic in 2020, founder Turzo Bose realized that due to social distancing restrictions, his visually impaired grandfather could not receive live descriptions from family and friends, which sparked the idea to create this device.
How amazing is Seekr? With just a gentle press, it can instantly "interpret" the world in front of visually impaired users. This device is equipped with a depth-sensing camera, a microprocessor, a battery, and a Bluetooth module. Through a smartphone app and Bluetooth headphones, it can provide real-time voice descriptions of four different scene modes:
Scene Mode: Describes the immediate environment, such as "There are two people sitting on a bench in front of you."
Depth Mode: Precisely guides users to grab target objects.
Supermarket Mode: Identifies types of products, such as "This is bread" or "This is an apple."
Text Mode: Reads out text on signs, menus, and packaging.
For some users with partial vision, it may even be possible to use just the smartphone app and camera. However, the introduction of Seekr makes this advanced technology easily accessible for the elderly as well.
This device has won the CES 2025 Innovation Award and is priced at approximately $770 (including a one-year app subscription). It is not just a technological product but also a bridge connecting visually impaired individuals to the world. Who would have thought that such a small device, the size of a matchbox, could so profoundly change the lifestyle of an entire community?
The warmth of technology may have been defined more clearly at this moment.
