Building Assistive Tech With Lived Experience | Eko Lens Podcast
- kenishacoon
- Jan 14
- 2 min read
In this energizing episode of The Eko Lens Podcast, host Kenisha Coon welcomes Martijn van der Spek, the founder of PiccyBot, to talk about how thoughtful design and cutting-edge AI are being shaped into accessible tools for people who are blind or have low vision. Martijn dives into his journey as an innovator in assistive technology and explains the core mission of PiccyBot — to bring richer, more reliable image interpretation to users by intelligently combining multiple AI engines. Throughout their dialogue, listeners get a clear sense of how technology can be both powerful and user-centered when it’s developed with real needs in mind.
A major theme of the conversation is how PiccyBot handles one of the hardest challenges in AI today: hallucinations — moments when generative models confidently describe something inaccurately or falsely. Martijn discusses the strategies his team uses to reduce these occurrences and shares why transparency and community feedback are essential in building trust with users. Rather than treating artificial intelligence as a perfect solution, the episode focuses on practical, honest design that acknowledges limitations while still pushing toward meaningful impact.
Privacy is another key focus area on this episode. Martijn and Kenisha reflect on the responsibility that comes with building tools that interact with people’s everyday environments and personal images. Their conversation underscores that privacy, safety, and user agency shouldn’t be afterthoughts in accessible tech — they are fundamental to ethical innovation and long-term adoption.
Whether you’re deeply involved in accessibility work, curious about the intersection of AI and assistive tech, or looking for inspiration at the crossroads of empathy and engineering, this episode offers thoughtful insights and real talk about how technology should serve people first. PiccyBot’s story — shaped by lived experience and relentless curiosity — shows what’s possible when innovators listen deeply and build boldly.
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