In an inspiring move to enhance digital inclusivity, the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) has announced a partnership with ReBokeh Vision Technologies to offer a unique experience for visitors with visual impairments. This initiative aims to empower low-vision guests to interact with museum exhibits in entirely new ways, through a smart, AI-powered app available on Apple devices.
The ReBokeh app uses the phone's live camera feed to allow users to customize visual content according to their specific needs, using tools that adjust contrast, color tone, lighting, and zoom. One of its standout features is the smart description function, which leverages artificial intelligence to describe the visible elements in real time without the user needing to get too close to the exhibits. This offers low-vision visitors an immersive and realistic experience in galleries such as the “Hall of Ancient Egypt” and the “Dinosaur Hall.”
Rebecca Rosenberg, the founder of ReBokeh, expressed her excitement, saying that the Houston Museum has the power to inspire younger generations. She added that the partnership represents “a chance to open the doors for low-vision individuals to explore the museum in a new and exciting way.”
In addition to the technological aspect, the initiative also includes a research component, aimed at collecting user feedback to further improve the app. Matti Wallin, HMNS’s Accessibility Programs Manager, emphasized the importance of this input, stating: “We never want to offer something that isn’t useful to the audience we’re trying to serve.”
Experts and users who tested the app within the museum shared their positive impressions, particularly praising the “illuminate” feature, which adjusts brightness in dimly lit exhibition areas. The app also allows users to record videos and save what they see for later viewing. Notably, several museum staff members with visual impairments have used the app and shared positive feedback.
Currently, the app is only available for iPhone users, but there are future plans to launch it on other operating systems, such as Android. This means the benefits of the app will soon reach a wider global audience.
