The world can be a difficult place for people with limited vision. While many legally blind folks can differentiate certain objects that are in front of them, the real world normally doesn’t provide enough contrast for them to see what’s just ahead. To help take advantage of their limited vision, researchers at Oxford University have developed an electronic glasses system that helps to outline the nearby objects in front of the wearer.
The system consists of a pair of glasses that are equipped with a camera and a display unit that can overlay images onto the glasses for the user to see. A small computer hooked up to the glasses runs the algorithms that identify objects in front of the camera and creates a high-contrast outline that the person sees in the display. Here’s a video from Oxford showing off the glasses with some thoughts from the trial participants that were the first to take advantage of the smart glasses:
More from Oxford University: Smart glasses for people with poor vision being tested in Oxford…
(hat tip: Engadget)