(Photo: OrCam)
The developers of OrCam want the 280 million people around the world with significant visual impairment to be able to read printed text. So they developed a camera that fits onto a pair of glasses. When the user points at text within the camera's view, the attached computer reads it aloud into a bone conductor next to the ear.
Researchers at the University of California Davis Health System found that OrCam was highly effective in making printed text accessible to people who can't see. The Daily Mail reports:
Dr Mark Mannis and colleagues carried out research on 12 people with low vision – six men and six women with an average age of 62. [...]
After using it for a week, all of the subjects were able to carry out at least nine of the 10 items on the test and said they found it easy to use and would consider using it in their daily lives.
The authors performed a separate sub-analysis of seven patients who were using other low-vision aids and found that their performance on the test was better when using the device, as well.
Each OrCam costs about $2,500-$3,500 USD.
-via Ace of Spades HQ
Although, I'm a little confused. Wasn't this one of the many things that Google Glass could do? As in, wouldn't it have just been another app for that product? Also, when I look up the price for GG, it seems to be $1500. Also 2, I'm pretty sure GG has translation software included, so it could do this in a hundred or so languages. So what makes this better than GG? There's gotta be something about it that justifies the extra $1000-$2000 extra, right?