Dev Blog - LIMA 1.7.7.1
This release focuses on voice enhancements, improved JAWS accessibility, stability and crash fixes.
To upgrade, LIMA offers an upgrade option on start up or you can download the latest version from here.
New Features
- Added 4 new voices, with British and Australian Accents.
- Added a voice preview button to hear a sample of each voice before selecting.
- Added more audio announcements for UI Actions.
- Renamed mute/unmute microphone to Voice Mode, LIMA now starts by default with microphone input turned off. This is configurable in the settings.
- New hotkey - Voice Mode Toggle: Added a configurable hotkey (default: Ctrl+Alt+U) to toggle voice mode on/off.
- Added enhanced compatibility with JAWS.
Performance Improvements
- Tweaked screenshot quality allowing for 5% - 10% faster transmission to the AI backend.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed NVDA Audio Glitching issue on microphone input.
- Fixed major start up crash on some systems.
- Addressed missing Tagalog & Vietnamese Translations.
- Open Program Tool - Fix bug that was only allowing certain programs to be opened.
- Addressed some dialog elements not focusing correctly.
- Addressed detection of usage exhaustion with a user-friendly message.
- Fixed window focus not being restored correctly after Quick Input.
- Fixed rare crash in streaming TTS when a tool result is being spoken.
- Fixed incorrect keyboard shortcut instructions shown in welcome message.
Dev Blog - LIMA 1.7.6.1
This release focuses on accessibility improvements with better NVDA support, Tagalog Language support, improved tab order flow, configurable narration languages, and improved microphone start-up handling.
To upgrade, download the latest version from here.
New Features
- Screen Reader Accessibility for Main Transcript: Converted transcript display to allow screen readers to navigate conversation turns individually with arrow keys instead of reading the entire history as one block.
- Improved tab navigation in about, license, update and usage limit dialogs.
- Added auto-scroll to ensure transcript view stays scrolled to the latest content.
- Added support for Tagalog language. We recommend typed input for this language.
- Configurable Narration Language: Both video and website narration services now support configurable output languages (Vietnamese, Tagalog, English).
- Converted microphone input sensitivity to Voice Activity Detection slider for better handling of microphone noise.
- Added handling to show Usage Limit with plan tier information when limits are reached.
Bug Fixes
- Added fix for occasional NVDA "glitch noise" when microphone input is used.
- Enabled tab key to change focus in main text input box.
- Microphone Initialization Failure Handling: Added error handling for cases where no microphone is available.
- Fixed main window stealing focus after Quick Input dialog closes by capturing and restoring the previous foreground window.
- Fixed tab order to match visual top-to-bottom layout (transcript area → text input → send button → microphone toggle → settings → stop button)
Helping a Loved One Cope with Vision Loss: 5 Evidence-Based Tips for Families
Nearly 453,000 Australians are estimated to suffer from blindness or low vision, according to Vision Australia. If you’re caring for a parent with a deteriorating eye condition or helping your child adjust to vision impairment, it’s natural to feel confused and anxious.
In this blog, we will share five research-backed tips on how to support your family member through this challenging period.
1. Emotional Support Is Key
Diagnosis of severe sight loss is often a traumatic event. It can take a toll on a person’s sense of self-worth, increase struggles in day-to-day tasks, and even lead to depression and loneliness.
During this period, your patience and empathy can go a long way. Research by McIlvane and Reinhardt (2001) shows that strong family support helps visually impaired elders adapt better to the changes.
Some simple ways to provide emotional support are:
● Practicing active listening
● Engaging in open communication
● Staying positive and hopeful
● Encouraging your loved ones when they complete daily tasks
These small acts of kindness can, over time, become a source of strength for your loved ones.
2. Knowledge Brings Clarity
Learning about eye health may feel like diving into a sea of information, but it’s crucial in providing effective and personalised support for your family member. According to Bambara et al. (2009), many families lack knowledge about their relative’s visual impairment, as well as how and when to provide assistance. This may contribute to overprotective behaviours, which causes unnecessary distress and reduces independence for a person with vision loss.
To bridge this knowledge gap, you can:
● Accompany your relative to GP appointments
● Review health report together
● Participate in online forums
● Visit local support groups.
Valuable resources and information about community meetups are available on Vision Australia and Blind Citizens Australia. Other state bodies include VisAbility WA, Canberra Blind Society, and Queensland Blind Association.
3. Embed Small Changes In Family Routines
Routine plays a crucial role in rehabilitation psychology, which also applies to low vision rehabilitation (Petretto et al., 2017). At home, you can implement small “rules” to help your family member navigate their environment safely while maintaining independence. Examples include:
● Always leaving doors open (or shut) so that the partially sighted person knows what to
expect around the doorway
● Setting daily reminders to use artificial tear drops or take medications before meal times
● Helping them plan outfits in the morning
● Using textured labels on clothing tags to differentiate between similar clothes
4. Keep Your Home Clean And Tidy
An organized space is crucial to a person with sight loss. This means making changes to minimize visual clutter, such as:
● Not leaving household items on the floor
● Having designated spots for your pantry items
● Alerting your family members about changes in furniture arrangements
● Utilising high-contrast backgrounds: they help to recognise words or shapes, so go for items
that will stand out.
5. Embrace Accessible Technology
Assistive technology can be a powerful companion for people with reduced vision. From electronic glasses and head-mounted cameras to smart canes, these tools enable your loved ones to navigate the world with greater confidence. Screen reader is also a popular tool, used to help blind individuals understand the texts and images
on digital devices. The technology reads out loud what is on the phone and computer screen, and users can adjust settings based on their needs.
Our Solutions
At Roscommon, we developed the Low-Vision Intelligent Machine Assistant (LIMA), an AI-powered screen reader designed to help people with low vision access digital content with ease. LIMA empowers users with real-time screen interpretation, voice-command navigation, and seamless digital interaction.
Contact us to learn more about how LIMA can help your family member stay independent and connected.
Sources:
Bambara, J. K., Wadley, V., Owsley, C., Martin, R. C., Porter, C., & Dreer, L. E. (2009). Family functioning and low vision: A systematic review. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 103(3), 137–149.
McIlvane, J. M., & Reinhardt, J. P. (2001). Interactive effect of support from family and friends in visually impaired elders. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 56(6), P374–P382. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/56.6.P374
Petretto, D. R., Vinci, S., Todde, I. P., Piras, P., Pistis, I., & Masala, C. (2017). Conceptual models of disability and their role in the daily routine of clinical rehabilitation. Rehabilitation Science, 2(4), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.rs.20170204.11
Vision Australia. (n.d.). Low vision. https://www.visionaustralia.org/services/eye-conditions/low-vision
Dev Blog - LIMA 1.7.5.1
This release focuses on tool improvements, performance optimizations, and reliability. Tools have been consolidated, vision processing is now faster, and the speech-to-text system has improved reliability.
For the most reliable upgrade, uninstall the previous version of LIMA and download the new version from here.
New Features
- Added voice control tool with speed and voice selection capabilities
- Want to change LIMA's talking speed? just say "talk faster" or "talk slower".
- To adjust the volume output, ask LIMA to speak louder or softer.
- To change the spoken voice, simply ask LIMA to change the voice. You can also ask LIMA what voices are available.
Performance Improvements
- Faster startup times.
- Improved tool call performance, LIMA is more likely to choose the correct tool for your input prompt.
- Improved mouse click speed by 30%.
- General 5% increased speed across the software with a major backend upgrade.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed double TTS speak in advanced streaming mode.
- Addressed Speech To Text drop outs.
- Fixed issue with crash logs not submitting.
Dev Blog - LIMA 1.7.4.1
This release focuses on critical bugfixes, bringing robust functionality to descriptive video service and dynamic web narration features. It also includes the newest model from Open AI, GPT-5.3.
New Features
Added GPT-5.3 (OpenAI)
Updated Vietnamese language support.
Refined AI behaviour for more concise responses.
Added end-turn confidence threshold slider in settings, allowing manual-tuning of input speech.
Bug Fixes
Fixed license authentication issue.
Fixed Open AI model compatibility with Descriptive Video Service
Fixed Open AI model compatibility with Dynamic Website Narration
Dev Blog - LIMA 1.7.3.4
This release focuses on improved speech input through automatic end of turn detection, speeding up response times. It also adds a "quick input" hotkey that allows you to type instructions to LIMA with a new hot key "Ctrl - Alt - H". This hot key and the other hotkeys are configurable in the settings. The settings have also been greatly expanded allowing the ability to change LIMA's voice speed, changing the base AI model and adjusting the verbosity of YouTube and Website narration.
New Features
- New speech detection system, automatically detects when you have finished speaking.
- Added new pop up text input widget, enables text input while keeping lima in the background, use ctrl + alt + H to activate (configurable in the settings)
- Adjusted default TTS speaking speed from fast to medium
- Added new settings to change the speaking rate on natural language playback
- Made website and video narration verbosity configurable in settings
- Made Base AI model configurable in settings
GPT-5.2 OpenAI
Llama 4 Maverick Meta
Kimi K2.5 Moonshot
- Switched default AI model for improved performance
- Added option to change the quick input box hotkey in settings
- Added end-turn confidence threshold configuration for speech detection
Bug Fixes
- Added missing Text-to-Speech announcements when settings are changed
- Improved setting UI increasing compatibility with more screen types
Dev Blog - LIMA 1.7.2.2
This changelog covers bug fixes, features, and improvements added since version 1.7.0.2. The changes bring a new feature to handle websites with constantly changing elements as well as stability and bugfixes.
New Features
Dynamic Website Narration (DWN)
A new feature that extends LIMA's narration capabilities beyond YouTube videos to any website content. This feature provides narration on sites that update without user input, like website carousels. This feature integrates with legacy screen readers to send Windows notifications for NVDA or JAWS to narrate, avoiding interruptions to your workflow.
Other features
- Switched to improved vision model for YouTube narration
- Auto Re-Launch After LIMA Update
- Reduced starting latency on cold sessions
- Added settings toggle for Dynamic Website Narration
- Added settings toggle for Descriptive Video Service
Bug Fixes
- Fixed Descriptive Video Service failing to restart a YouTube video after narration
- Addressed text to speech falling back to system voice in Descriptive Video Service
- Improved tooltips and accessible names for UI elements
- Speech Voice reset to clean-up migration to new voice system