A new app is helping blind people to enjoy the simple act of being smiled at, something many of us take for granted.
The innovative technology, which beeps or vibrates when it detects the expression across the room, has been developed to help those who have lost the ability to experience a smile - or have never experienced it.
A short film by Oscar-nominated director Lucy Walker shows four blind volunteers using the app on their smartphones, and the results are truly heartwarming.
In association with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, Listerine developed the app which works using facial recognition software.
When the phone is held up or worn around the neck, with the camera facing away from the user, it can detect smiles even from several metres across the room.
Chloe, a young woman who has been blind since birth, says: 'I can imagine that seeing someone smile is a really pretty thing to see.'
Speaking about her boyfriend on the video, she adds: 'If you love someone that much you really want to work out how they're feeling, it can be quite hard.'
Adi, a man who has lost his sight, recalls: 'When I could see, I loved having eye contact with people and I loved seeing people smile. You could see the smile in their eyes.'
And Anna, a bubbly middle-aged woman, who has also been blind since she was born, says: 'As a very small child, mum would get me to feel her face. It does feel like it comes alive when you smile.'
Upon trying the app, the faces of all the volunteers light up as they capture smiles from around the room with a buzz from their phone.
When I could see, I loved seeing people smile
'Think of me naked now,' Adi orders, laughing, as the entire film crew beams and his phone goes berserk.
'Oh it's working! Now stop!' he says.
Upon spinning round with the app, Chloe remarks: 'Woah, everyone is happy in the room tonight.'
Sarah, a young woman who has lost her sight, says that if she could choose to see anyone smile, it would be her baby nephew.
'I remember my sister's and my mum's smiles from when I was little,' she says. 'But because he's only one, I've never seen his smile.'
The toddler is bought into the studio, bears her a gummy grin, and sure enough, Sarah's phone alerts her.
But perhaps the most tear-jerking moment of all is the exchange between Chloe and her grandfather, who are playing a game of Connect Four.
'I've got this granddad, he's in his 80s now, but he really, really makes me laugh,' she explains.
'When I was born, he was adamant that I was going to do everything that my brothers could do. We've just got this really special bond.'
As the pair get into the game, she remarks to her grandfather: 'I don't know why you're smiling, because you're about to lose.'
Speaking afterwards, her grandfather says, his eyes brimming with tears: 'It chokes you up. It's a natural thing, a smile, but when you can get a smile back, that's when it chokes you up.'
'When I first got [the app] I just thought it would be a bit of fun,' Chloe says. 'But actually it's really special because it's something people take for granted. Knowing they're being smiled at.'
Anna concludes: 'I'd love to have this app on the tube. Just to see if anyone actually smiles apart from me.'
MailOnline
No comments:
Post a Comment