Over the past few years, there has been a rapid and unstoppable increase in the development of technology. Technologies that were once considered efficient are now deemed archaic and new technology is constantly replacing old methods. That being said, is seems as if Seeing Eye dogs are about to be replaced with something big, something that could grant the blind unheard of visual abilities— smart glasses.
The idea that there will soon be a device that will actually be able to “see” for those who cannot sounds fictitious. However, scientists have created machinery that can accomplish this feat. “Smart glasses” are computerized glasses that are able to detect objects and display the objects on their lenses. The glasses would help the visually impaired navigate using their own sight, rather than using help from an outside source.
The glasses use two cameras (just as the eyes produce two images), each located on the corners of the glasses, to record the image in front of the person. Software in the device then displays the image from the cameras on transparent LED lenses. The glasses detect how far away objects are from the wearer by comparing the image of both cameras. The software is also able to read text and translate it into audible speech. Additionally, the glasses are equipped with a gyroscope to measure the orientation of the glasses, a compass, and a GPS system.
As the majority of registered blind people are still able to perceive light and motion, these types of glasses would be extremely helpful to the blind community. The transparent LED display allows wearers to view enhanced images on the screen as well as use their remaining vision.
The technology was created by Dr. Stephen Hicks of the University of Oxford. Although there are already some complicated ways to restore sight to the blind (such as implanting a chip into the person’s eye), these glasses are meant to be a simple means of restoring sight. They are easy to use, safe, and are proportionally cheaper than implant surgery.
The National Federation of the Blind estimates that there are over 6 million Americans currently living with blindness. As for the definition of blindness, according to their website, “We encourage persons to consider themselves blind if their sight is bad enough—even with corrective lenses—that they must use alternative methods to engage in any activity that persons with normal vision would do using their eyes.” And that number is increasing. As America’s baby boomers are aging, more and more of them are losing their vision. According to the organization Eye Care America, one in three Americans over the age of 65 have some type of vision-impairing disease.
Current devices being used to assist blind and visually impaired people to navigate include guide dogs, or Seeing Eye dogs, and white canes. While sources report that guide dogs have been used as early as the 1500s, the first guide dog training school was opened in Germany during World War I. In America, the widespread use of guide dogs didn’t start until the 1930s. These dogs do just what their title sounds like: they help their owners navigate. White canes started being used after World War I, and they help users detect objects in front of them.
As the technology of smart glasses is further developed, scientists hope to add more features, such as using brightness levels to show depth. Eventually, the glasses will be able to read bus signs and know the location of the bus, giving the wearer directions to a destination.
Ultimately, the glasses would be an essential product for every visually impaired person. These glasses grant visually impaired people a form of independence that would have been impossible to experience just one hundred years ago, and better yet, they reduce the need to rely on a dog or a stick.