Microsoft’s Seeing AI app adds Indian currency note recognition to its trove

• Microsoft’s Seeing AI app can now recognise Indian currency and narrate the denomination back to the users.
• The Indian rupee is the fifth currency to be integrated with the app.
• But, it should be noted, that though the app can be accessed in 56 countries, it’s only available on the iOS App Store.

Microsoft’s latest innovation adds an image recognition and narration feature to the Seeing AI app to help visually impaired users in India. The app already had support for Euros, British pounds, US dollars and Canadian dollars, but now the Indian rupee has been added to the list.

And yes, that includes the newer denominations issued after demonetisation took place.

The only catch is that it’s only available on the App Store for iOS users. Considering that most of the people in India are on Android, absence from the Play Store poses an accessibility issue.

But, isn’t there already an app for that?

NantMobile Money Reader, another app exclusive to the iOS platform, also has the skills to recognise currency and narrate the denomination back to the user. It has a more expansive scope supporting 21 different currencies, including the Indian rupee, as well as voice over support in 17 languages.

Formerly known as LookTel, NantMobile Money Reader may give users the ability to recognise multiple currencies but Seeing AI can do more than just currencies, and that’s where Microsoft’s advantage lies. It can be said that its multifunctional aspects provide an impetus to daily life integration.

User preference, at the end of the day, will depend on user requirements.

According to the company, currency notes pose are especially difficult to recognise because they come in varied sizes. Generally, people who are visually impaired fold the notes in different shapes in order to recognise them. But, they still need help determining the denomination of the note in order to know which shape to fold it in.

(Image source: Microsoft News Center India)