New Phone App Can Help The Blind See

DENVER (CBS4) - There's an app out there that can see for the blind. It helps in self-sufficiency. It's called "TapTapSee."

Teenager Jake Cohen wants to gain his independence. When he was 1 year old, Jake was diagnosed with a rare cancer. He went through chemotherapy, radiation and a bone marrow transplant. A stroke at 2 ½ left him blind in his right eye. Two years ago, a series of detached retinas left him totally blind.

Jake, who taught himself how to play piano, guitar and the drums by ear, uses TapTapSee to take photos of objects. It then identifies those objects just like a pair of eyes. The app takes about six seconds to work. Jake uses it for food, medicine and even his favorite sports cards.

Jake's father, Dave, hopes that one day the app will be capable of facial recognition.

"Where he can take a picture and it'll say, 'Kathy Walsh walked in the room,' " Dave said.

Jake's mother, Mary, likes that Jake can do things for himself.

"It's given him more options of independence. It helps me so I don't have to get up and help him all the time," Mary said.

TapTapSee is available through the Apple iTunes Mobile App Store. You get 20 free trial pictures. Then you can buy a subscription. Jake gets unlimited use for ten dollars a month. Some complain that it's a little slow. But Jake finds it's accurate and helps him find things easier and faster without any help.

LINK: TapTapSee

- Written for CBSDenver.com by Jaimie E. Goldstein