“Overview
PiTextReader allows someone with impaired vision to read text from envelopes, letters and other items. It snapshots an image of the item, converts to plain text using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and then speaks the text using text-to-speech.
The Reader is designed to be as absolutely simple to use as possible. No Internet needed, no graphical interface, only one button. Just place the item to be read onto the stand and press a button. After a few moments, the text will be read back to them.
I designed this for an elderly parent with eye sight issues such as macular degeneration, but can be used more broadly for anyone wanting printed text translated into audio speech.
There are many readers available, most though, cost thousands of dollars or are for someone who is tech savvy requiring Internet connectivity and the use of a smart phone. This reader is designed to be completely standalone with no internet and no interface other than a large push button.
Pros
One button to control No Internet connection required No graphical user interface to navigate Total cost less than $100 Always ready to go
Cons
OCR can be limited due to fonts, colors, text size, etc. Speech sounds like Stephen Hawking Works best for small sections of black text on white paper.”