I often read stories on the many different effects technology is having on our lives. Assistive Technology (AT) is helping people with disabilities lead completely different lives than they might otherwise have managed.
Having a visual impairment or a lack of visual acuity can be particularly challenging for any individual, and is difficult to cope with when it is a symptom of a wider condition. A lack of visual acuity can, for instance, be common in learning disabilities as well as physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy and have a profound effect on a person’s ability to immediately understand what they are seeing and thus to relate properly to situations and circumstances.
Exciting technological developments in the field of artificial vision, therefore, could be absolutely critical and make a real difference to the lives of many thousands of people. Orcam MyEye is just such a development and might just represent a truly innovative and fascinating step forward for anyone with a visual impairment.
What Exactly is it?
Described as ‘the world’s most advanced wearable assistive technology solution’, MyEye is a compact and miniature camera which can be attached to the frame of a wearer’s glasses. The camera also incorporates a built in mini speaker and, most importantly, technology which allows it to convert visual information into speech.
The technology was developed by Israeli company Orcam, which was co-founded by Professor Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram. Professor Shashua currently holds the Sachs Chair in Computer Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the pair were both previously involved with the development of traffic accident avoidance system Mobileye.
What Does it Do?
The technology incorporated into the MyEye allows it to read any printed text, on any surface, to instantly transfer it into the spoken word and to relay it to the user through a mini speaker. That integral text to speech functionality is able to be activated simply by the touch of a button or the pointing of the user’s finger within the device’s field of vision.
That means that the MyEye can aid with the reading of everything from a newspaper or book to a computer screen, food label or road sign. Visual acuity issues, therefore, can be ably combatted in a wide variety of circumstances almost instantly.
As well as this, the MyEye can also be used to store images of individual’s faces, consumer products and other items, such as banknotes. It will then recognise them when its user comes across them again and announce their names once through its mini speaker. This, then, can make shopping or dining far simpler and also make potentially awkward social interactions far easier to cope with and thus more enjoyable.
Full details on the Orcam MyEye is available by emailing: sales@mooringsmediquip.com or call the Customer Freephone Number 0800 031 6571.
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