Talking cash machines designed to help the blind and partially-sighted were unveiled in Belfast yesterday.
Northern Bank is piloting two machines provided by a Canadian software company, one at its Donegall Square branch and one in the Connswater shopping centre in east Belfast.
By plugging a set of headphones into a jack fitted to the front of the ATM, blind users are able to access the service.
The machine uses an automated voice to guide visually-impaired people to the locations of items such as the numbers on the keypad, the cash dispenser and other devices on the machine. It will also talk them through each stage of the process.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind's campaigns officer, David Mann, said: "ATMs are really difficult to use for blind or partially-sighted people because all the information is displayed visually.
"It's a real breakthrough, and I would call on all the other banks to follow suit." - (PA)