NCBI Labs recently caught up with the Co-Founder of Field of Vision
Technologies, Omar Salem. Omar tells us about a touch-based tablet the
company is developing called Field of Vision that will enable blind and
vision-impaired users to track and visualise live sport matches.
Q1. Can you give us a description of what Field of Vision does and who it is
meant for?
For visually impaired sports fans, Field of Vision is transforming live
sports from accessible to immersive. We're building touch-based tablets that
allow the user to feel the action with their own senses, rather than just
listen to it.
Q2. What was the original inspiration behind Field of Vision?
Field of Vision was inspired by some really fascinating videos I found
online. There was one of a father taking his blind son to a match at a
stadium. He was tracing out the path of the ball on his son's hand. A second
video showed how a blind person's friends built him a small table-top pitch
at home and moved his hand around it to act out the game as it happened live
on the TV. In both cases, the use of touch really fascinated me, as it
clearly gave a much more in-depth experience than just describing the game
to them orally. This, along with our passion for technology is what inspired
us to look into a scalable touch-based way for visually impaired fans to
spectate sports.
Q3. Can you tell us how Field of Vision works?
We provide four cameras to be set-up at each corner of the stadium. The data
from the camera is processed by our software in real-time.
The data is transmitted to the portable tablets throughout the stadiums,
where it is outputted in touch format for each visually impaired fan. A
moveable coin-sized piece at the top replicates the movement of the ball
around the pitch. Users can feel the power and swerve of each shot and
cross. Vibrating motors inside the device give the user feedback on the
actions of the players, including dribbles, shots, tackles and saves.
Vibrations can vary in intensity, mirroring the intensity of the actions on
the pitch.
Q4. In what sports can it be used?
Our products will initially launch for football (soccer) matches. The
technology itself is transferrable, and we hope to expand to Gaelic
football, rugby, basketball and more.
Q5. At what point of the development process are you at now with Field of
Vision, and when is it likely to become available?
We're on-track to build and test our product with around 20 users this
Summer. We are hoping to have our product in stadiums and ready for use by
everyone who needs them within one year.
Q6. How can we find out more about Field of Vision?
People can find out more by getting in touch by emailing
info@xxxxxx
or by following our twitter @fieldofvision11.
You can watch an interview with Omar Salem from Field of Vision Technologies
on <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYmESO6zePA> Live Event 31 on YouTube.
