Smart glasses for the blind

British scientists recently introduced a type of smart glasses that can help wearers identify objects or translate street signs into sound.

The smart glasses are the work of a research team at Oxford University. They use software and small cameras mounted on the glasses to detect objects near the wearer and display images of the objects on the glasses.

Smart glasses with an image of a person displayed on the lenses. (Photo: Stephen Hicks)

Two small cameras mounted on the corners of the glasses capture two different images, just like the human eye. The images are displayed on a transparent LED screen on the glasses, so the wearer can see the image more clearly while still using their current vision. Comparing the distances between the cameras will show how far away the object is from the wearer.

The headset performs the function of receiving and converting information in text form such as numbers and symbols into audio segments to help orient the wearer.

The smart glasses are also equipped with a compass, a GPS device and a gyroscope to measure and maintain orientation.

Stephen Hicks, a member of the research team, said the smart glasses would help blind people adapt to everyday life more easily. The researchers also hope to develop software with a variety of functions that people wearing the glasses found useful. For example, the smart glasses could use light levels to show depth, or detect when a person is nearby based on their movements, or read out loud locations or bus numbers.

It is estimated that more than 2 million people in the UK are currently visually impaired, with 300,000 confirmed cases of blindness due to conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

According to Science