Smart Glasses Allow Blind People to See
A new prototype pair
of smart glasses developed by
Assisted Vision are able to translate visual information into images that blind people can interprate. They simplify the more ambiguous elements of the
everyday environment and then display these more basic and relevant details for
the user; essentially allowing them to gain partial sight.
The system works because 75% of registered blind people have the ability to
detect light, and the glasses could be especially useful for users with cataracts,
age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, among other
eye-related conditions.
Assisted Vision's sensors
gather data through two cameras, a gyroscope, a compass and GPS. The sensors
can capture movement, direction and the exact location of the objects in front
of a user. The sensors send data to a processor, which translates the images. The
processor then transmits the data to a display inside the glasses, where objects
in front of the user are rendered as a series of lights. The OLED technology can
show different colors and intensities of light to indicate an object's distance, for
example, objects can be made clearer against the background, or the distance to
obstacles can be indicated by the varying brightness of an image. It can also differentiate between objects that are moving and those
that are still. The
smart glasses also come with a headphone and
text-to-speech software, which helps users ascertain other important information such as directions, bus numbers and even
signs.
 |
| Assisted Vision Displaying the Movement of a Person |
