The IMAGE Project

Making internet graphics accessible through rich audio and touch

Have you ever wanted to hear a photograph or pie chart, and not just a description of what is in it? The IMAGE project (Internet Multimodal Access to Graphical Exploration) adds controls to graphics in your browser so you can activate it on photographs and some charts and maps, on any webpage you visit. You will then receive experiences that combine spoken words with other sounds you hear around your head, that tell you details such as where things are, how large they are, or other information depending on the graphic. We are also working on touch experiences using add-on hardware including the Haply 2diy force feedback device and the Humanware Monarch braille pin array tablet, but those IMAGE experiences are not yet released. The goal is to provide people who are blind or have low vision with a new and useful experience of internet graphics that goes beyond automatically generating alt tags. To learn how IMAGE can practically help you, and how to install the IMAGE browser extension so you can try it out, visit the Using IMAGE page. To install the IMAGE browser extension so you can try it out, keep reading: The IMAGE extension is fully supported on Chrome, but also works on Microsoft Edge, Brave, Safari, and Opera for Desktop or Laptop. To use IMAGE, install the extension to your web browser by visiting the IMAGE Project Chrome webstore page by activating the following button.

Install IMAGE extension (any Chrome-based browser)

If you are a developer interested in using IMAGE, start here.

If you are a researcher interested in using IMAGE, find out more about our project here.