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Screen readers for the blind aren't new, but they typically cost in the region of £150 ($250) to £1,000 ($1,500).

But now a Massachusetts firm has developed a screen reading app for iOS devices that detects and reads any text aloud, and costs a relatively cheap $99 (£60).

The KNFB Reader app is capable of scanning for text – even within images - and converts it into speech automatically.

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The $99 (£60) app is available for the iPhone 5 and above, running iOS 7 and higher. When a user wants to read text, they hold the device above the piece of paper, over the advert or at a shop window, and the app will scan for writing (pictured left). Once it detects text and is in the best position, it takes a photo of it (pictured right)

It also translates English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian.

The app is available for the iPhone 5 and above, running iOS 7 and higher.

When a user wants to read text, they can hold the device above the piece of paper, over the advert or at a shop window, and the app will scan for writing.

If the app can't detect writing, or it isn't in the correct position, it will tell the user to either move the phone or the paper – and it guides the user throughout.

Once it detects text and is the best position, it will take a photo of it. 

This photo is then decoded and the speech begins almost instantaneously.

The app will also import text from images into documents and store them in Google Drive and Dropbox.

In addition, the KNFB Reader app is compatible with all Braille displays supported by VoiceOver on iOS.

And it doesn't need a web connection to work, meaning it can be used underground and on planes when in Airplane mode. 

This photo is then decoded and the speech begins almost instantaneously (pictured left). The app supports English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian - and works with all Braille displays supported by VoiceOver on iOS. Preferences menu is pictured right

The app was built in collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind and Ray Kurzweil, futurist and senior Google employee.

The app was also developed with Belgium-based firm Sensotec NV.

Mr Kurzweil told Reuters in an interview with that the app will be available on Android in the coming months, and he is looking at the possibility of developing a version for Google Glass.