A Common Misconception about Blindness is that, it Involves a Complete Inability to See Anything at All. However, the Majority of those Who Qualify as Legally Blind, still Have Some Sight. The Definition of Legally Blind Means that, Eyesight is 20/200 or Worse, Even with Glasses or Corrective Lenses. Many of these People still Cannot See Well and Need Assistance from Canes and Guide Dogs but, a Team of Researchers at Oxford University Have Created a Pair of High-Tech Smart Glasses that Gives them a New Way of Seeing the World. The Smart Glasses Contain a Video Camera Mounted onto an Eyeglass Frame. A Small CPU Allows a Computer Program to Translate What the Camera Sees into Images. The Glasses’ Lenses Display these Images as a Series of Visually Enhanced Outlines, Using Brighter Outlines for Objects that are Closer. When Looking at People, the Glasses Can Even Make Out Facial Features. They Don’t Completely Replace Vision so, those Who are Totally Blind Won't Benefit from them but, they Could Help those with Limited Vision with Things like Avoiding Obstacles while Walking.
They also Work Well in Low Light, which Could Make them a Useful Tool for those Who Suffer from Night Blindness. Initial Testing of the Glasses has Seen Positive Results. Researchers Found that, the Glasses were Easy to Get Used to and that, those with the Least Amount of Vision Benefited the Greatest from Wearing them. One of the Volunteers Even Remarked that, she Saw her Guide Dog for the 1st Time. Future Tests Involve Testing the Glasses in an Obstacle Course, as well as, in Public Spaces, like a Shopping Center. Although the Current Prototype of the Glasses are Bulky, the Researchers Feel Confident they Can Downsize them to the Size of Simple Sunglasses. The Team is also Hoping that, they Can Bring the Smart Glasses to Market at a Reasonable Price, about the Cost of a Smartphone. Future Plans for the Glasses involve Adding an Earphone that will Give Audio Prompts about What Wearers are Seeing.
Info Sources:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2014-06-17-smart-glasses-people-poor-vision-being-tested-oxford
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0r_7koevhw
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