Batoners is one of the most innovative startups in Korea that is addressing meaningful social issues by developing technologies and services for children, the disabled, and the underprivileged. The startup has created social impact products such as E-Books for the visually impaired. They offer a variety of solutions that help blind and low-vision people solve their daily challenges.
Below we will go through some of the innovative products and services being developed by Batoners…
E-Books for the Visually Impaired
An E-book is an electronic version of a book. You can get e-books in large print, audio, or Braille. However, many might not know this but only 5% of the visually impaired can read Braille. Instead, most use TTS (Text to Speech) to read books. TTS also comes with issues. For example, mages, graphs, tables, and formulas in books are not converted into speech because the process would take anywhere from 3 to 6 months for a single book. Therefore, Batoners have created an E-Book reading technology solution that recognizes images, graphs, tables, and formulas and automatically creates an explanation of what information it represents.
This means that the visually impaired can now fully comprehend all the contents of an E-Book. Batoners offers a variety of programs for schools and textbook publishers to turn books with images into an E-Book for the visually impaired.
Crosswalk Guidance App
Batoners has developed guidance software for pedestrian crossings for the visually impaired. It is an AI-based app that recognizes the direction of the crosswalk. Therefore, the visually impaired simply need to open the app and hold their smartphone in front of them as they walk on the crosswalk. The app will alert them via voice to keep them on the right path.
Vehicle Safety Alert Drop-Off Bell
In order to make sure a child is not stuck in a vehicle such as a daycare van or bus. A drop-off bell is installed which forces the driver to check for children inside the vehicle before leaving. However, the installation cost can be as much as 300,000 won. Batoners has created an affordable alert system (CCUCC button) that uses the vehicle’s built-in USB port. Therefore, when the driver turns off the ignition, an alarm on the button will automatically sound. The cost of the product ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 won.
UNICEF Child-friendly City Discussion Platform
Batoners offers a UNICEF child-friendly city non-face-to-face discussion platform that can be used by local governments. It can be used to hold online discussions with teachers, parents, and even children. These discussions can be held anywhere and at any time. It is designed with children in mind so users can easily transmit video/audio and these are automatically converted into text.
Batoners is eager to help anyone who needs social help. The social impact startup is constantly looking for innovative solutions for social problems and has developers in the United States as well as Germany. Currently, they are developing AR/VR programs for those who find it difficult to learn. It will be a program that is specifically designed to help them to find jobs. In addition, Batoners is creating a mobile healthcare system that deals with addressing mental health issues.
