September 24, 2021

Google has unveiled two new Android tools called Camera Switches and Project Activate. The tools are designed to help users with speech and motor impairments navigate their devices and communicate with others.

Using an Android phone’s front-facing camera and machine learning, the new tools turn the front-facing camera into an adaptive tool that performs keyboard, mouse or touchscreen functions.

While Camera Switches, a feature within the Android Accessibility Suite, allows users to navigate through their phones with eye movements and facial gestures, Project Activate enables customized, preset communication through facial gestures.

Project Activate gives users space to express short phrases such as “please wait”, though it does not replace a speech-generating device.

In addition to the two new tools, Google has also expanded the Lookout app, an app that helps people with limited vision read handwritten texts in Latin-based languages. In addition, the app’s currency mode now includes rupees and euros.

For more information, read the original story in ZDNet.