Hi Tech LED glasses developed for visually impaired

The capability to see is one of the greatest gifts provided to human beings, but there are many people around the world who either don’t inherit it by birth or might have lost vision due to some mishap. As a solution for any such vision impairment, a team of researchers at Oxford University under the leadership of Dr Stephen Hicks from the Department of Clinical Neuroscience have come up with a set of LED Glasses dubbed as ‘Smart Specs.’

According to Dr Stephen Hicks, “The glasses will enhance vision in those who have almost none or lost it or have little left making them more independent as they will be able to find directions on their own.” The glasses may have discrete looks just like normal set of spectacles, but are equipped with the modern day technology normally seen in gaming consoles and smartphones. Video cameras are mounted at both corners so that everything the wearer sees can be captured while the transparent lenses embedded with tiny lights display can provide more information about people, objects or obstacles in view. Meanwhile, a tiny computer in your pocket just like the one in a smartphone will track the position of the wearer or analyze the data provided by the video image driving the display lights in real time. In total, the added information displayed by the glasses about the surrounding will allow the people to locate and pick the appropriate objects or things placed nearby.

The glasses are one of the main attractions at this year’s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition and the team has been already honored with e-Legacy award for their development. The price of these hi-tech glasses would be just as much as smartphones, i.e. around US$800.

Via: Oxford Neuroscience