Eyesight is something that most of us take for granted. Because we’ve had it since birth, it’s easy to overlook the fact that it’s a real gift and a huge part of our life. According to the World Health Organization, however, there is an estimated 253 million people that live with some kind of vision impairment. Of those 253 million, some 36 million are completely blind and the other 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. That’s a lot of people that don’t have the luxury of seeing the world around them. Ford hopes to change that with a new technology called “Feel the View.”

The technology is currently in the prototype stage but apparently works well. It was created in coordination with GTB Romana and a local startup known as Aedo – a brand that specializes in devices for the visually impaired. The technology works by taking pictures and then turning them into high-contrast grayscale pictures. Those pictures are then reproduced on the door glass of the vehicle. Those that are visually impaired can then touch the glass to feel the scenery. Pretty cool, right? Well, it gets better.

The shades off grey are displayed in as many as 255 different intensities to help those that are visually impaired interpret the world around them. At the same time, another system describes the image audibly for better clarity. This means that even those who are blind can enjoy a trip through the mountains, the forest, or even the coast. It may not be quite the same as what you or I experience but it’s revolutionary in that, for the first time, those without that luxury can feel everything we’re seeing.

Neither Ford or it’s partners in the endeavor provided any other information, and there’s no word when or if this device will come to the market, let alone the cost, but this is certainly something that has the potential to move beyond the prototype stage. If you want to know more, check out the video below to get a better feel for how the system works.

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