---
title: "AI-Powered Interactive Multimodal Digital Book & Online Shop For Blind and Visually Impaired Users"
authors:
  - "Mazen Salous"
  - "Daniel Westphal"
  - "Wilko Heuen"
  - "Ayoub Ben Dhiab"
  - "Charles Hudin"
  - "Sabrina Paneels"
  - "Susanne Boll"
  - "Larbi Abdenebaoui"
doi: "10.24963/ijcai.2026/991"
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/2026/991"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/2026/0991.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 2026
pages: "8509-8512"
track: "Demo Track"
keywords:
  - "AI: Humans and AI"
  - "AI: Computer Vision"
  - "AI: Machine Learning"
---

# AI-Powered Interactive Multimodal Digital Book & Online Shop For Blind and Visually Impaired Users

Mazen Salous, Daniel Westphal, Wilko Heuen, Ayoub Ben Dhiab, Charles Hudin, Sabrina Paneels, Susanne Boll, Larbi Abdenebaoui

*Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 8509-8512. DOI: [10.24963/ijcai.2026/991](https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2026/991)

## Abstract

We present an AI-powered interactive multimodal system that enriches digital image accessibility for blind and visually impaired (BVI) users. Our demonstration showcases two application domains: (1) an educational digital book, and (2) an online shopping interface. In both use-cases, users can virtually feel material textures (leather, wood, etc.) and engage in voice-driven inquiry about images. The system integrates state-of-the-art AI components – including voice-to-voice conversational agents, vision models for object segmentation, and a custom 16-actuator vibrotactile display – to provide multimodal feedback (haptic vibrations, spoken descriptions, and audio cues).
The result is an inclusive technology with significant societal benefit, empowering BVI users to learn and shop more independently through natural multimodal interactions.