People who are visually impaired or even blind can now read the text from a book, smartphone screen or other surfaces. This is possible thanks to a voice-activated device that attaches to the frame of virtually any glasses. The OrCam MyEye uses an advanced 13 megapixel optical sensor that captures an image of the user’s surroundings and communicates the information audibly.
Magnetically attached to the user’s glasses and weighing only 22.5 gram/0.79 ounce, the device employs artificial intelligence (AI) to instantly read text from any surface when the user points at it. The Smart Reading feature allows voice control to read selected items such as just different headlines in a newspaper and then specifically read the full specified article.
The Orientation feature assesses and then audibly communicates identified objects, such as doors, in the field of view with a simple “what’s in front of me” request. It can also identify that a person or chair are in front. Through facial recognition, it can further identify the person, if it is a known acquaintance or describe the person, such as a young man, if you have not met before.
Other visual input that can also be audibly communicated include identifying products in a store, money notes, barcodes, colors of clothing or other items, menu offerings and telling time. It is offered in more than 20 languages so it can be used in countries around the world.
Since more than 350 million people in the world are partially sighted or blind and over a billion have reading difficulties, including dyslexia or reading fatigue, the OrCam MyEye can certainly improve the quality of life for many people.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.