In what can be described as a giant leap in technological development, “SMART” glasses that will give sight back to millions of blind people could be in the shops by 2016 after a project to develop them won a competition to develop “technology that will change the world”.
The spectacles, already being developed for a mass market by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, won a public vote in the Google Impact Challenge Awards, joining another three winners receiving funding of £500,000 each.The award will allow the charity to give a prototype of its smart glasses to 1,000 people to test for the next 18 months, with the aim of making a finished product available by 2016.
It is estimated 150,000 people in the UK and about 15 million worldwide will benefit from the spectacles which echo the sci-fi Visor of Star Trek character Geordi LaForge, played by actor Levar Burton.
In his fictional case his vision came via implants into the optic nerve which delivered images straight to the brain.
In today’s reality a spectacle-mounted 3D camera enhances images of nearby shapes and objects. It then highlights and outlines them clearly on the inside of small transparent displays that are part of the spectacle lenses.
This makes the most of the remaining vision that many people who are registered as blind still have. Prototypes used in initial testing after pioneering work by scientists at Oxford University, enabled wearers to identify faces and obstacles more clearly than they have for years.According to Neil Heslop, group director of RNIB Solutions, nearly 90 per cent of the 360,000 people registered as blind in the UK have some form of vision.
He said:
“We estimate there are more than 300,000 people registered as blind in the UK who still have some remaining vision. About half of them will benefit from augmented glasses, so it will help 150,000 in the UK and 15 million worldwide.
“Five years ago this would have been completely unthinkable but thanks to the cutting-edge work of scientists at Oxford University we are now in a position to make this a reality.
"One gentleman with sight loss who tried the glasses reacted with ‘wow, I can see your face’.”
The RNIB is hoping to make the finished smart glasses as cheap as possible but warned they could be costly at first.
Mr Heslop added:
“We want to get them down to £300 each but as with any technological development, prices will start at one level and then fall rapidly. Future developments will be less about sight but more about getting information, such as text, through the glasses.”
Remarkable isn't it
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