MySmartEye app uses crowdsourcing to bring sight to the blind

An app called MySmartEye is crowdsourcing sight for the visually impaired.

The app connects those with vision conditions with volunteers who use their sight to help the user connect with the environment around them.

The users of MySmartEye follow voice commands and double tap their smartphone to take a photo. The picture is then sent to a volunteer in real time. The volunteers are alerted to the picture by a simple notification and then describe what they see by typing information in a text message-type box.

That text is then read back to that visually impaired user. One of the examples in the app's promotional video shows a user taking a picture of oranges at a grocery store. The volunteer then told them they looked fresh.

Once users have heard enough responses, they can choose to close the thread by swiping three times on their phone.

This micro volunteering fuses network technology with volunteer opportunities.

A communications representative from StarHub, the company that created the app idea, said more than 400 micro volunteers have registered and that about 30 visually impaired users are currently testing it out.

MySmartEye is available both for Android smartphones and iPhone.

"We believe in the strength of altruism in humanity, that in spite of our busy schedules, we still want to help others in need. With MySmartEye, anyone can help the visually impaired in mere seconds anytime, anywhere," said StarHub head of personal solutions Chan Kin Hung in a news release.

Learn more about the MySmartEye app here: http://mysmarteye.starhub.com/