Literaku, an app developed by Universitas Sumatera Utara students to support literacy in visually impaired

Literaku USU is a voice-based application created specifically for people who are visually impaired, aiming to support education for the visually impaired, particularly in literacy. This application was developed as part of the 2021 Student Creativity Program (PKM) by a group of Computer Science students from the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at Universitas Sumatera Utara.

Farhan Doli Fadhiil Siagian and his team were inspired to create this application based on direct research with a foundation for the visually impaired in Medan, North Sumatra, named Yayasan Pendidikan Tuna Netra (YAPENTRA). The group’s research revealed that literacy rates among the visually impaired were extremely low due to various limitations, which became a motivation for Farhan and his team to create something beneficial and find ways to support literacy and education quality for the visually impaired.

The Literaku application incorporates Natural Language Processing (NLP) features to search for reading materials, read content, and explain activities through voice commands. It is a voice-based application where users can submit voice inputs and receive responses in audio form. To input voice and give commands, users simply swipe left or right on the screen until the application signals it is ready to receive voice commands. Users are advised to use earphones and be in a quiet environment to ensure that the application can receive voice input clearly. One of Literaku’s key strengths is that it is built using Google Cloud APIs for cloud computing technology. Additionally, Literaku can read various digital formats, including PDF. Released at the end of 2022, the Literaku application is now available for download on the Play Store. 

Currently, the Literaku startup is still active and remains in the maintenance phase. The developers hope that Literaku will receive greater attention from the public, especially the government, to reach more people who need this application. Unfortunately, up to now, Literaku has only received recognition within the university environment