Low vision affects approximately millions upon millions of adults over the age of 40, often as a result of vision problems such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetes-related eye diseases.
These vision killers can make daily life more challenging, but several fascinating technological innovations can help people with vision problems better perceive their environments and, therefore, live more independent lives.
Orcam MyEye Pro: reading glasses for those who cannot see
OrCam MyEye Pro is a small wireless camera which clips onto the temple of any pair of glasses, allowing the blind or those with vision problems to "Read" their mail, recognize friends and even decipher currency. And this is only the beginning.
To decipher the world around them, blind people employ all four remaining senses, especially sound, with the brain using auditory signals to create mental images. This is the premise behind OrCam MyEye Pro. This cutting-edge technology helps its users make sense of the visual world describing what vision problems do not allow him to see.
A small wireless smart camera the size of an index finger attaches with a magnet to any pair of glasses. Just point your finger or tap the touch bar and the camera will capture an image of what's in front of you, communicating the information in audio through a small speaker that sits above your ear. Simplify purchases: scan the barcodes and identify the denomination of the banknote you are holding.
People can teach OrCam to memorize and identify hundreds of everyday objects (from logos on buildings to products in the fridge). The device continuously scans the surrounding environment, and is also equipped with facial recognition to "remember" friends, acquaintances or work colleagues.
Orcam also responds to voice commands. You open a newspaper, say: “Read the article about football”, and the device does so. You take an envelope, ask Orcam and the system will tell you where the letter comes from. If he asks himself “how much is it?” when faced with a bill, Orcam will read everything and provide the amount.
WeWALK
When it comes to helping those with vision problems, the use of a cane is invaluable. For this WeWALK, an innovative smart stick with touch pad and speaker, it can make a difference. Thanks to the use of ultrasound, WeWALK is able to detect obstacles that are above chest level (tree branches, telephone poles, road signs) and warns the user by sending a vibration. Simple and efficient.
Today, almost all people with vision impairments and a cane also use GPS navigation on their phone. However, it is not easy to manage two devices with both hands full. WeWALK can connect wirelessly to the smartphone: users can thus keep the phone in their pocket while walking, keeping one hand free and dedicating themselves to what is happening around them.
The stick's touch pad allows access to a number of additional functions. For example, WeWALK can connect with public transportation. If you are near a bus stop, the stick will communicate all the data: which bus is arriving next and what the travel times are.
eSight
At first glance, eSight looks like it came straight out of Star Trek: The Next Generation . (Note to non-Trekkies: Google “Geordi La Forge.”) This elegant device it is actually a special type of electronic eyewear that can provide improved vision to people with low vision (visually impaired and blind).
Premise: Although some parts of their eyes are damaged or non-functional, people with poor vision retain some vision, often peripheral. eSight increases the function of the parts of the eye that still work to compensate for the parts that don't. The head-mounted display houses a small camera that captures everything you're looking at. The device's algorithms improve the footage before displaying it on two high-resolution screens, in real time.
eSight's remote control, a trackpad built into the headset, can make adjustments (brightness, contrast, sharpness) to improve image quality. Users can automatically focus on all distances: short (a paperback book or the restaurant menu); medium (a computer screen); or long (the stage of a concert).
The device also allows those with low vision to touch the smartphone display and stream content directly in front of the eyes.
