Students develop smart paint mixer for the color blind

To assist individuals with color vision deficiency or colorblindness who are passionate about creating art, Grade 11 students from Batangas State University developed a prototype machine equipped with a color detector and smart paint mixer.

As featured in the "Game Changer" segment of 24 Oras on Monday, The Art Collaboration (TACO) machine is an automated painting system crafted from eco-friendly materials and powered by rechargeable batteries.

A 2017 study revealed that one in 12 Filipino boys and one in 20 Filipino girls experience color vision deficiency, making it challenging for them to distinguish certain shades.

“Initially, this project po was for a competition. We planned to solve the problem of diminishing interest in art,” explained Edwin Macuha Jr., one of TACO’s developers.

“Three million people in the Philippines ang nagsa-struggle with color deficiency. Nahatak po yung puso namin like ang dami palang nagsu-suffer sa ganitong problem so bakit hindi namin i-try i-fix or even just make it a little bit better,” shared Allynah Macatangay, another developer.

(Three million people in the Philippines struggle with color deficiency. We were deeply moved by this and thought, "Why not try to fix it or at least make it a little better?")
 
The TACO machine features a sensor that identifies a color in just a second and mixes paint to match the detected hue.

“We needed to code every shade na nade-detect po niya. You have to find the right ratio of each color to properly mix po para makuha niyo po yung desired color (to get the desired color),” Macatangay added.

(We needed to program every shade the sensor detects and determine the correct ratio of colors to achieve the desired output.)

“Plano rin po naming i-expand yung kakayahan ng color sensor para kunwari yung specific shade na gusto nila, ilalabas din ng machine,” Macuha added.

(We also plan to enhance the sensor’s capability to produce specific shades that users request.)

The device can also classify colors as primary or secondary, making it both a tool for identifying colors and a potential source of inspiration for aspiring artists. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/DVM, GMA Integrated News