An AI-powered mobile application developed by an Egyptian engineering student has crossed a major milestone, reaching users in 130 countries. ScribeMe, created by Bishoy Michel of Egypt University of Informatics (EUI), provides real-time visual assistance for blind and low-vision individuals, translating the physical world into audio descriptions through a smartphone camera.
Quick Facts
- Founder: Bishoy Michel, an EUI engineering student.
- Global Reach: Active in 130 countries and 15 languages.
- Core Function: AI-driven visual interpretation for the blind.
From University Project to Global Impact
The app was designed by Bishoy Michel, a fourth-year mechatronics student, in collaboration with his visually impaired cousin, Mark Murad. The goal was to build a tool that could foster greater independence for users in their daily lives. ScribeMe transforms visual information into clear audio descriptions, assisting with everything from education and employment to everyday activities.
Dr. Ahmed Hamad, acting president of EUI, announced the achievement, highlighting the university’s support for turning student innovations into practical projects. “This achievement confirms the ability of Egyptian talent to handle AI and the technical applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he stated. EUI itself has decided to adopt the application to support its own visually impaired students, enabling them to follow lectures and access visual materials like charts and graphs independently.
AI-Powered Features for Independence
ScribeMe leverages computer vision to offer a suite of services directly through a smartphone. Its core features are designed to interpret and describe the user’s surroundings.
The “Live Assist” function uses the phone’s camera to provide a real-time description of places and objects as the user moves. The app can also read printed documents, PDFs, and PowerPoint slides aloud, converting the content into text compatible with screen readers. For more complex visuals, ScribeMe can analyze and describe images, graphs, and charts. It also includes facial recognition to help users identify people around them and allows for interactive Q&A sessions with the AI for more detailed information.
Gaining International Recognition
ScribeMe’s practical application has attracted significant international attention and accolades. The startup won a hackathon organized by Vodafone Egypt for AI solutions that empower people with disabilities. It also secured first place in a competition by Enpact and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) from a pool of over 160 startups.
The project was the sole international participant at the Meta Wearables Summit held at Meta’s US headquarters. ScribeMe was also selected as the first Egyptian startup to join the “Rising Up in Spain” program by ICEX. Further recognition came from Qatar Development Bank, which included ScribeMe in its “Scale7 Business Acceleration” program, and the Mastercard Foundation, which selected it for an EdTech fellowship program in partnership with EdVentures.
About ScribeMe
ScribeMe is an AI-powered application designed to assist blind and low-vision individuals by converting visual information into audio descriptions. Using a smartphone’s camera, the app provides real-time descriptions of surroundings, reads documents, describes images and charts, and recognizes faces to promote user independence in daily life, education, and work. The app is available on Android, iOS, and Windows.
Source: Youm7
