"Assistive technology" - Google News - Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 8:11 PM
OrCam MyEye 2: Wearable device changing the lives of visually impaired -
NEWS.com.au<http://NEWS.com.au>
[https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/aafc52f34ee204fb1da1052b87a5f4e3?width=650]
For most of us, receiving junk mail is an annoyance. For Sydney woman Lisa
Hayes, it’s a thrill.
She was born completely blind and has never known what it’s like to scan
through the items in unsolicited catalogues that get stuffed into her letter
box. That was until last September when she received a small device that clips
onto a pair of glasses and uses sophisticated artificial intelligence
technology to recognise faces and read text for her.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever had,” she tells
news.com.au<http://news.com.au>. Ms Hayes, 50, and says the device has
transformed her life.
“It has got be the breakthrough of the 21st century as far as I’m concerned.”
The product, called MyEye 2, is the second version of the assistive wearable
technology made by Israeli company OrCam.
Designed for the blind and visually impaired, the device clips on to the side
of a pair of glasses. On the front is a camera with real time visual
recognition technology and on the back is a small speaker that discreetly
relays the information into the ear of the user — and comes in 23 different
languages.
Ms Hayes has been proficient in braille from an early age but she now relishes
being able to read a book or magazine article recommended to her by friends.
“Being totally blind since birth, I’ve never been able to read a print book,”
she said. “I can now actually read. I can read medication boxes, I can pick up
junk mail.
“I feel like I’m part of the real world.”
The company showcased the device at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier
this month, where news.com.au<http://news.com.au> had a hands-on demonstration.
It was easily one of the most exciting products on display during the massive
trade show.
To prompt the device to read, users hold their finger, pointing upwards in
front of their nose, and then slowly point to the top of the page where they
wish to begin reading. The device will then start dictating the text to them.
The MyEye 2 can also recognise familiar faces and tell you when a particular
friend is approaching, or otherwise say “a man is in front of you”.
The technology can read barcodes on products at the supermarket and tell you
what it is, recognise colours and tell the denomination of paper money.
Performing certain gestures, such as holding your wrist in front of your face
for example, will prompt the device to tell you the time and date.
“Everything can be done with a hand gesture,” says Elad Serfaty, VP of
marketing at OrCam.
“The users can be from young to senior people, and you don’t want such a
sophisticated device to have a sophisticated operating system.”
According to the company, its MyEye device is the only wearable artificial
vision tech that is activated by an intuitive pointing gesture or by simply
following the wearer’s gaze — allowing for hands-free use without the need of a
smartphone or Wi-Fi.
The device does not require an internet connection, providing real time visual
information and audio communication while allowing complete freedom of movement
and ensuring data privacy because the activity is not stored anywhere.
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For Ms Hayes, not only has the device helped change her daily habits but best
of all, she got it for free thanks to the National Disability Insurance Scheme
(NDIS).
“One of our missions is to get the right reimbursement or funding for the
device,” Mr Serfaty said. “This type of community, the visually impaired, are
not usually not the strongest financially so we try to find ways for them to
get it for free.”
The company works with Visions Australia and distributor Quantum RLV to provide
the device to Australians but it costs nearly $7,000 to buy outright.
“There are many different ways to get the device funded,” says John Wolff,
OrCam’s regional director for Australia and New Zealand.
One potential subsidy is through the government’s Job Access program aimed at
driving disability employment, and another is through Veteran’s Affiars. But
getting funding through the NDIS has been hit and miss for some patients.
“We’d like to see more approvals but unfortunately often times the people that
are assessing the technology at the NDIS aren’t specialists in low vision or
blind issues so they don’t really understand how these devices can specifically
help people, they just look at the price,” Mr Wolff said.
“There are approvals that go through but one thing that’s been challenging for
us, and maybe it’s because the NDIS is a new system.”
Despite the high price tag, OrCam says it has hundreds of users in Australia,
including some who bought the device out right. The company likes to compare it
to a hearing aid, with a middle level hearing aid costing about the same amount.
The MyEye 2 device weighs just 22.5 grams and attaches to glasses via small
magnets, providing a relatively discreet appearance.
“If you’ve got a disability, people are looking at you anyway but if you’ve got
something that’s big a bulky, you stand out more,” Ms Hayes said.
Her only complaint is the short battery life: “It could last a bit longer, two
hours is the maximum you’ll get if you’re using it continuously.”
To help overcome this, OrCam has a small charging unit that can clip onto a
user’s belt so they can charge and swap batteries with ease.
Ms Hayes counts herself lucky she was able to get the device for free —
something she attributes to having a specialist lodge her report with the NDIS.
But after just a handful of months with the assistive tech, it’s given her a
new lease on life.
“I haven’t looked back since,” she said.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/wearables/the-breakthrough-of-the-21st-century-how-this-product-changed-a-blind-womans-life/news-story/74f9881ed0f6f87a8797842bd982d1da
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info<http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.info>
