RIAS (Remote Infrared Audible Signage)

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Remote Infrared Audible Signage (RIAS) was developed by Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute so that print-handicapped people (blind/low-vision/illiterate/foreign) would be able to access the information presented through textual graphics on signs in the built environment.

It consists of infrared transmitters sending encoded spoken versions of the contents of the sign. An early version called "Talking Lights" has been successfully upgraded/marketed commercially as "Talking Signs®" which are being globally installed.

The principle of Alexander Graham Bell's photophone led to development of devices capable of transmitting/decoding infrared waves in systems ranging from military communications through remote control systems for televisions and computers.