Developing high-performance eyeglasses for the visually impaired, "visible only by putting on", targeted for marketing

High-performance eyeglasses based on bioengineering are developed with the aim of marketing, which makes vision-impaired people see the eyes just by applying it.

Hi-tech glasses may help the blind 'see' again | Mail Online

Researchers at Oxford University in the United Kingdom develop spectacles "smart spectacles" equipped with a small camera and a pocket computer that visually convey information on objects and people in front of the worn-out person.

In the past development of eyeglasses with similar functions had been advanced, but at the time it was a rather bigger device combining a camera that works with sound and a big computer with sunglasses. However, with the progress of technology, it is now possible to develop compact glasses that are almost indistinguishable from ordinary eyeglasses.

If the tests for practical application are completed without delay, this glasses, which is lightweight and inexpensive, will be sold as early as 2014. About 1,000 pounds (about 129,000 yen) about the price is considered to be reasonable.

Dr. Stephen Hicks, a clinical neuroscientist receiving funds from the Ministry of Health, has completed basic research on this glasses and has started to develop prototypes and can be widely used by people who need it We comment that it can be produced at a cost of about. Currently, the development of transparent glasses with adopting a lens with several embedded light emitting diodes attached to the outer side of the frame is proceeding.

The image taken by the camera is sent to a small computer like the assumed mobile phone that can be put in the pocket of the worn-out person, where the image is simplified to the dot pattern, and the LED Reproduce by shining. Through these processes, it is possible to inform those who are wearing serious information about things in front of you.


Complex information transmission is also possible by voice, and the computer processes information on the bus number that the camera projects and information on the guide board of the station, converts it to voice, and announces it through the connected earphone. In the future it seems that it will be able to recognize the ATM of the bank and the screen of the automatic ticket machine of the station on the same principle as well. By wearing this glasses, visually impaired people can safely move on the premises of shopping centers and crowded stations, and also read the price displayed on the bus number and cash register, so the everyday behavior is quite smooth It is expected to be able to do.

However, there are weaknesses in this glasses as well, and since we are doing much of the information transmission by light, it is a drawback that visually handicapped persons are not very useful for blind people. On the other hand, half-blind people and aging cause obstruction of the macula of the retina and the visibility disappearsAge-related macular degenerationBecause it is thought that it plays a considerably large role in securing the visibility of patients' patients, development will continue.

After undergoing small experiments, Dr. Hicks says that it will conduct a two-year long-term experiment on vision impairment for 120 people concerning feelings of glasses on the go and at home.