The legally blind person still has some sight, did you know that? The definition of being legally blind implies that the person in question has an eyesight of 20/200 or worse and therefore, yes you’ll find many people who are not completely blind. However, the sight has so deteriorated that they need guide dogs or canes in order to move around. A team from Oxford University has come up with a prototype pair of glasses that will impart vision to these almost blind persons.
This pair of high tech glasses come with a video camera that has been incorporated in to an eyeglass frame and works in collaboration with a small CPU whose primary task is to pick up data from video camera and transform it into images that are then transferred to the lens display of the glasses, which then projects them as visually enhanced outlines. Objects closer have brighter outlines and the glasses are even capable of making out facial features when it comes to people.
These glasses do not, however, replace vision and are, therefore, not helpful for those who have completely lost their sight. Those with limited sight can benefit greatly from them as seen in the initial testing phases. Researchers have concluded that the glasses are easy to get used to and those who have the least amount of vision benefited the most. One of the volunteers stated, quite happily, that she saw her guide dog for the first time. The next phase of tests will be carried out on an obstacle course and public places that are crowded.
As of now the prototype is somewhat bulky but the team is confident that it can be brought down to the size of regular sunglasses and when this happens, it will be easier to use and won’t stand out as well. The team also hopes to introduce this at the price of smartphones and wants to incorporate an audio component which will relay audio prompts to the user about what they’re saying. A pretty promising gadget for blind people!