Zurich researchers work on assistive technologies for people with disabilities

(CONNECT) Researchers at the Institute of Computational Linguistics at the University of Zurich (UZH) are working on the development of computer-based assistive technologies for people with disabilities. According to a press release, the flagship project led by Sarah Ebling involves UZH, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) based in Winterthur and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences for Special Needs Education as educational institutions. Practical partners include the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG), various federal offices, the Swiss Federation of the Deaf and Zurich Insurance. The project, which began in 2022, is funded by the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse) and is endowed with CHF 12 million over a period of four years.

The aim of the research work is to improve computer-aided technologies in order to make information and services more accessible to people with disabilities. For example, visually and hearing impaired people will be offered information on television with audio-visual assistance created by artificial intelligence. "The collaboration between research and industry was sometimes very challenging. It was necessary to balance the different expectations with foresight," Sarah Ebling is quoted as saying in the press release.

The results will be presented to the public on January 20. The project is scheduled for completion at the end of April 2026. The technologies developed will then be further developed by implementation partners from industry. According to Sarah Ebling, more events at UZH should also be interpreted into sign language in order to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the education sector. ce/ww