What is Auxel Project??

Welcome to Auxel Project!

We encourage you to go through this Power Point presentation to have a quick overview about the Auxel Project.

*NEW* Auxel has got its own site now!!! http://auxelproject.org
(its in design stage.. your suggestions and ideas are welcome! email us! )


Aim of this project is all about converting digital image to sound in such a way that visually challenged (Totally blind/born blind/legaly blind/color blind/partially blind) people can mentally visualise the image.




Now, this image can be a live image from a portable camera hidden inside a goggle they are wearing thus they no longer be blind (handicap/disabled).

Quick Technical Details :

Digital Image captured from camera is in (R,G,B) format. We convert it into (Hue, Luminance, Chroma) or (Hue, Luminance, Saturation) format. Using these values (HLC/HLS) of EVERY pixel, we create sound corresponding to THAT pixel.We train the visually challenged people to mentally draw the image as and when they hear the sound . (Just like a dot matrix printer draws an image on paper!)

'AU-XEL' is a short form derived from the words "Audible pixel"

Achievements :

A Mumbai based 19 year old visually challenged girl Miss Divya Bijur, who has never seen light or colors since her birth can now easily identify simple images of 7x7 pixels in four colors (Total Training time - 4 hours!)

Miss Divya Bijur recently was video filmed and she was independently able to TEACH auxel language infront of the camera.

Any visually challenged (totally blind since birth) person can now effectively percieve colored images!

MORE IMPORTANTLY:


First time in human history, a visually challenged person (including the totally blind person since birth) can easily and independently teach other visually challenged people (including those who are totally blind since birth) how to percieve colors!

For more details : http://auxelpics.blogspot.com/

Current Status:

1> PC ( For Training)
Prototype training software is ready. (Java 1.5 applet + Javascript)

Status: Complete. We are working to make it compatible with lower versions of Java.


2> MOBILE (For training as well as live)
a. We are also finding out details of how this same program can be run on mobile platform.
b. Using camera inside mobile phones, we are working to show them the 'live images'

Status: We have just started working on this.


3> Independent Device (only live)
Aim: A microscopic device which is fitted with a tiny camera (giving the live streaming images). This device should attach itself inside any goggle easily.

Status: This device is on our design boards.

Global Representation and Targets:

AUXEL PROJECT aims to reach out and teach AUXEL LANGUAGE to 270 Million visually challenged people globally before 2nd November 2008.

Auxel Project is very rapidly spreading globally! :)

Reading through
http://groups.google.com/group/auxel
as well as though
http://auxelfaqs.blogspot.com
is highly recommended for those who want to know the details.

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Currently all the expenses for the project is made by Mr Omkar Nisal.
You can help things move faster by donating money for the project expenses.

Thanks to PayPal for this Safe & Secured option of donation.

Extracts from a conversation with my friend...

may be it would be useful for better understanding of the project/concept. Ok, here it is:


The project is divided into phases/parts

The Training software and Live software are two major parts

Using the Training software, blind person's brain learns to percieve images from sound.

Every pixel of the image is converted in particular sound, one pixel at a time.

The way it is done is exactly like the way we read text (written pages).

one word at a time.. from left to right... and one line at a time... from top to bottom

Similarly we start from leftmost pixel on the top row and progress towards rightmost pixel on the topmost row, then the line below it.. and so on untill we reach the right most pixel in the
bottomost row.

As we get used to creating mental images using the sounds from auxel software, we go on making images from tiny to small... and medium to big and bigger ...
also add more colors... add more levels of luminance and more shades of colors...

(by the way our computer's icon size image is their big size image)

now when they reach bigger level, then they can go LIVE

Now, LIVE means... image is changing every few seconds...
( and eventually even many time every second)

These images comes from the camera directly (instead of the stored images)

--------------

As of for now, the prototype we are ready with: is an applet.. which runs on PC
We are working to make a stand alone executable file for it too.

The Mobile (phone) Phase has training software as well as LIVE software in it. we have to yet begin working on it. (Waiting for the right people to join in the team!)

The Device Phase will have only live version. This will be independent circuitry and will not need PC or mobile phone. Eventually this circutry will be made inside a microprocessor chip so that it can be hidden inside a special goggle.

Which would mean that, after learning to create mental images from sound, just by wearing this special goggle, blind people would be able to do almost everything that sighted person does in day to day life!

------------

by the way..
we are effectively just by passing the normal channel for image to reach the brain

(via eyes --> optic nerves --> part of the brain that naturally processes images)

Auxel sends image to brain via digital camera -- > microprocessor --> sound --> ears --> auditory nerves --> brain (which now learns to process the image)

****

I am including the comments in earlier post ( cuz most people do not bother to see the comments)

Anjana:I am slightly confused. Ok i got it that the person can easily draw an image from the soud that the camera would produce.

But how will it help him in knowing what's that object.

What should be planned for the long run is...that artificial intelligence be built into the camera so that it can directly tell people as what the object is.

But an excellent effort and best wishes!

Omkar Nisal:

Thank you for your comment and question Anjana . We love questions!

To help you understand how this will help them identify objects.. let me first give you an analogy...

A new born, sighted baby's brain learns to extract meaning from the signals [image data] coming from eyes over the period of months and years..

and ONLY then it know that so and so is an object

similarly..

these visually challenged people's brains are now learning to extract meaning from the signals [image data] coming from digital camera (via ears). It might take many months of training for them to interpret different objects in an image. you see.. these people have just got a vision for the first time in life!

would you expect a week old baby to start identifying objects!????
ofcourse not!! learning takes its own time!

moreover, sighted babies are born with full range of eyesight,
where as these people have to gradually go on increasing the
1> size of picture,
2> number of colors,
3> levels of luminance,
4> and then saturation/chroma of the image.
5> then the complexity of the image.
6> and the speed of playing one picture

Its a long journey. We just have taken first few steps!

Fortunate thing is that, unlike the sighted babies,people we are dealing with can at least understand what we are trying to do and what we are trying to communicate.
Baby has to learn who is who, sounds and language, images and objects, and even human behaviour! Thats why we could learn this language faster than a baby would learn to speak from the day of birth.

I love to give baby's example because every one know baby takes time to grow and learn and thus better relate to this learning similar to baby's learning.

---

About artifical intelligence:
we already had carefully considered and thoughtfully decided not to go with AI built in this device.

1> we might need to embedd super computers in the goggles.. well if not supercomputers.. at least mainframes. so practicality of this happening on portable device.. at least as of for today is quite remote. Things change fast.. may be soon we could do that.

2> We are closely studying behaviourial patterns and likes/dislikes of these challenged people. we have found out although you and me(sighted/not disabled people) love automation and things being done for us.. these people hate to depend on anyone or anything. Independence is very important deciding factor for their self esteem and life. They do not want to be 'told' this is the color.. they want to 'feel' for themselves the colors..

Same with the objects.
I always try to put myself in their shoes, I always ask myself:"Would I love this if I was blind?".

You can ask yourself too!

FOr a moment lets leave practicality aside..
lets assume we manage to get AI to identify all..
ALL of the trillion objects in the world...

Would you really like AI tell you.. "ITs a beautiful orange colored sunset"
or "This a #FFGG0H shade or cyan or 4th level dark red colored beautiful dress"
"This is white color Taj Mahal" or "This is Aishwarya Rai/Tom Cruise"

GOSH! If I was blind.. I would rather invest 1 year of my life to master this language and then get back to my normal life as I am doing now!

Would you use AI trying to interpret images??

or rather use the portable, super computer that every one carries every where over ones shoulders??


The choice is of-course individual's!

What would you choose!?

(I suggest sealing your eyes for couple of days if not couple of weeks, before deciding!)

:-)

The AUXEL Story- How did it all start?

'AU-XEL' stands for AUdio piXEL.

A pixel of Image that can be interpreted by human brain through their EARS!

Let me share with my story so that you know why I am doing it and how it started...

It was evening time... and it started to become dark. I was sitting comfortably in sofa chair, sipping coffee and reading something..not suddenly but in steps there was a black out. I asked my mom to power on the lights (she was near the switch board). She giggled and said.. open ur eyes... and see.. the lights are already on!

All I could see was black out! strange .. very dark one.

I asked my brother to do power on the lamp. He giggled too. They thought I was playing a prank on them. I thought they were doing it to me!

But I realised that it was me who probably could not see anything at all!
Now sit down for a moment, try to imagine this situation. Try visualising yourself in my place....
Right now...with out any warning or notice.... this very moment you have lost your vision...

TOTALLY.


BLANK!

Completely BLACK and blank screen infront of your eyes....


only thing you can know is that you can still hear sounds.


"OH MY GOD!"


had that feeling.... Isnt it???

I too had it!

It was probably the scariest moment of my life!

how did you feel?

Well, I felt horrible and at that moment I decided that...I will not let lack of eyes stop me from seeing and enjoying the beautiful world.
I also decided that I will help others blind people to see the exotic and charishmatic, beautiful world that I was able to see for over two decades!

Infact it now is my dream to let blind people see MORE colors than human eyes can see.and thats what this project is all about! Helping blind people see MORE than normal human beings!

Ofcourse that would be a MEGA achievement and would need huge efforts and lots of patience.
Me and some of my friends are working on it... Hope you too join us!

Oh by the way.... coming back to the event which occured on that strange evening...

after I decided I would make a difference...

God granted back my vision!

I mean.... I woke up!

It was a dream!!!!!!

You can say... a terrible night mare!

Although sweating and panting..and most importantly thankful that I still CAN see.
so I made up my mind right then and there to live up to my decision I took in my dreams!

so here it is...the very same decision coming into to reality in the form of AUXEL project.

Here is the details of the project...

Project Details

"Frequenty Asked Questions (FAQs)" as well as "NOT SO Frequenty Asked Questions (NsFAQs)" are here... infact ALL QUESTIONS are here! :D
http://auxelfaqs.blogspot.com/


So many of us are contributing to this project and we have a listing of the people's names here... and also what all ways are people contributing.
http://auxelpeople.blogspot.com/


The brief technical details can be found here :
http://auxeltech.blogspot.com/
(More details available upon request.)


Cheers!
Omeee

What triggered me into action ?

Many many often ask me,

"What exactly put you in action?"

"When did u decide to do this full time"

"How come you are so committed to AUXEL?"

"When did the real action began?"


For all these and similar question.. I share a special incident in my life
which has had an extremely profound impact on me.

'Khopoli Experience' it is!

Almost all of the people who I have shared this experience with have asked me to share it with every one else!

So on most requests and some demands... ;) here it is:

Khopoli experience! <-- (: Click here to read my life changing experience. :)

Enjoy!

Project Owners

This is a project put together mainly by The Art of living Foundation and many of Omee's friends. http://www.artoflivingpune.org/
http://www.artofliving.org/


© 2006 Omkar Nisal. All Rights Reserved .
All AUXEL related ideas, algorithms, softwares, texts, images are property of Omkar Sateesh Nisal, India. No parts of this (or any other AUXEL) related website/forum/email or any other data be reproduced unless an explicit permission to do is taken prior.

(Omkar Nisal is just an email/phone call away!! So feel free to contact!)
omkar.nisal@gmail.com