Football star Lionel Messi has joined a cause to aid Ethiopians who are visually impaired.
The World Cup-winning captain of Argentina wrote on social media that it was an honor to work with the manufacturer of assistive technology OrCam to provide Ethiopians with visual aids.
One study estimates that 1.18% of Ethiopia’s population is blind, making vision impairment one of the country’s major public health concerns.
OrCam claims that their technology for visual aids enhances “the lives of people who are blind, visually impaired, and have difficulty reading.”
Last year, 2,000 people—mostly students and government employees—received the cutting-edge visual aid tool from Ethiopia’s first lady’s office thanks to donations.
According to the office, blind persons may now read texts in both English and Amharic, which is the nation’s official language.
Artificial intelligence technology integrated into the frame of spectacles allows visually challenged people to read and identify colors by reading them aloud to the user.
Time magazine rated the technology one of the 2019’s most significant innovations.
The OrCam MyEye glass is unfortunately pricey and unaffordable for many people with a single device costing more than $4,000 (£3,200) .
Source: BBC News