Lego embraces AI to translate instructions into audio and braille
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Lego is using artificial intelligence to translate building instructions into audio and braille to help visually-impaired children enjoy their play sets.
The new accessibility initiative that will make building instructions for select kits available as braille or text for voice readers, in order to reach builders with blindness and vision impairment.
The service is currently available for free through the Lego Audio Instructions site. It’s still in pilot mode, which mostly means it’s currently limited to four kits, with one each from Classic Lego, Lego City, Lego Friends and Lego Movie 2. The company is currently collecting feedback from the experiences with plans to build out its offerings at some point in the first half of next year.
Lego said the idea was developed thanks to entrepreneur and Lego enthusiast Matthew Shifrin, who is blind.
Lego has admitted there is still “a lot of progress” to be made with the AI software and automating the process, but it hopes to introduce more languages in future. And if feedback to the four sets featuring the translated instructions is positive, more will follow next year.
Fenella Blaize Charity, creative director at Lego, said the project will “help visually impaired children around the world experience the same joy of building and pride of creation that all our fans feel”.
