TABLE OF CONTENT

About the Client

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the country’s central banking institution, responsible for regulating monetary policy and ensuring economic stability. Established in 1935, RBI has played a crucial role in India’s financial infrastructure. To address accessibility challenges faced by visually and hearing-impaired individuals in identifying banknotes, RBI sought a technological solution.

Business Situation

RBI encountered several challenges in developing an inclusive currency identification solution:

Lack of a reliable method for visually impaired users to identify new banknotes.
Fading tactile markers made it difficult to distinguish denominations over time.
The app needed to work offline for users in low-connectivity areas.
Achieving high accuracy in currency recognition under varying lighting conditions.
Ensuring seamless accessibility with voice-enabled navigation support.
Security concerns required compliance with data protection standards.

The Solution

Unthinkable collaborated with RBI to design an AI-driven mobile application that enables users to identify currency denominations with ease. The solution involved training machine learning models with a dataset of over 150,000 images of Indian banknotes. A transfer learning approach was used to optimize recognition accuracy. The application works offline, utilizing mobile-optimized ML models to scan and identify notes, even in low-light conditions. Additional accessibility features, such as Siri and Talkback integration, were implemented to enhance usability.

Developed an AI-based currency recognition system trained on 150,000+ banknote images.
Enabled offline functionality for seamless usage in areas with poor internet connectivity.
Implemented vibration patterns for different denominations to assist hearing-impaired users.
Integrated voice navigation through Siri and Talkback for accessibility.
Ensured data security compliance with vulnerability and penetration testing.
Optimized ML models using AWS infrastructure for fast and accurate identification.

The Impact

The application has been downloaded over 1 million times since its launch, significantly improving financial accessibility for visually and hearing-impaired individuals. By leveraging AI and machine learning, the app provides highly accurate and real-time currency recognition. The offline functionality ensures usability even in remote areas, enhancing inclusivity. The initiative received widespread recognition, positioning RBI as a leader in financial accessibility solutions.

Conclusion

Unthinkable’s expertise in AI and fintech enabled RBI to revolutionize financial accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The AI-powered currency recognition app empowers visually and hearing-impaired users by providing a seamless, offline, and highly accurate solution for identifying Indian banknotes. This collaboration highlights Unthinkable’s ability to develop impactful, inclusive technology solutions that drive social change and digital innovation.