INVENTORS AND TECHNOLOGY buffs have been asked to come up with solutions to some of the daily challenges faced by people with sight loss.

A showcase this coming Thursday, organised by the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, will highlight some of these inventions and technologies. They are specifically focused on vision and vision loss. According to NCBI, they “were designed in an inclusive way and those which specifically address the needs of users who are blind or who have a vision impairment”.

One of the products – a navigation aid called VisionRE which helps people detect obstacles while walking – won its designer Kieran O’Callaghan the European Student Innovator of the Year Award earlier this month.

Other inventions which will be on display include a swimming aid for people with a vision impairment (Aquaeye); a system which alerts people to potential hazards within their home, eg, an open cupboard door (HomeSense); a LookAround App for smartphones that tells you the name of a street you are on, the direction you are heading and points of interest nearby. The full list of inventions and designs are here.

A cash prize of €3,000 will be awarded to one of ten designers who have their products or services exhibited on the day. The public is invited to come and experience demos of the products at the event which is at City Wall Space, Wood Quay Venue in Dublin 2 on Thursday from 1pm to 4.30pm.