Glasses That Indicate Obstacles to Patients with Visual Handicaps
From: Product Design and Development - 05/29/2012
By: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

People with moderate visual impairment, particularly those who have
difficulty perceiving the full extent of their surroundings, could use the
ingenious device that these UC3M scientists have created. “This device is
aimed at people who would bump into everything that they fail to see because
of their loss of visual field, caused by glaucoma, retinal pathologies,
etc.”, states the head of the project Professor Ricardo Vergaz, of UC3M’s
Electronics Technology Department. 

Read the entire article at:
http://pddnet.com/news-glasses-that-indicate-obstacles-to-patients-with-visual-handicaps-052912/
http://www.uc3m.es/portal/page/portal/actualidad_cientifica/noticias/glasses_obstacles_patients

Link:
Ricardo Vergaz Benito (in Spanish)
http://www.uc3m.es/portal/page/portal/dpto_tecnologia_electronica/Personal/RicardoVergaz

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From: Carlos III University of Madrid (Spain) - 05/28/2012 

Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M) researchers have developed virtual
reality goggles designed to enable people with acute visual impairments to
move around their surroundings by detecting the distance and shape of objects
in the visual field. "This device is aimed at people who would bump into
everything that they fail to see because of their loss of visual field," says
UC3M professor Ricardo Vergaz. The system features a head-mounted display
device, which includes two cameras attached to a small computer. The system
determines the distance and outline of the objects and communicates the
information to the user in real time, highlighting the silhouette of the
elements in the scene and varying the colors according to their distance.
"The information regarding depth is what is most missed by patients who use
this type of technical aid," Vergaz says. The researchers plan to improve the
ergonomics of the device so that users aren't inconvenienced while carrying
the lightweight electronic mechanism. The researchers also are developing a
virtual magnifying glass. "The main novelty lies in the type of algorithm
that has been developed, which will help the user to get lost less frequently
while reading a text," Vergaz says.