The ‘spy cam’ that lets blind Connor read
ABLIND British teenager is now able to ‘see’ thanks to spectacles fitted with a miniature ‘spy camera’ that can recognise words, images and even faces. Information from the camera is translated into computer-generated speech which tells the user what they are looking at through a discreet earpiece.
Charities have hailed the innovation as an invaluable tool for the two million Britons currently living with blindness or sight loss.
Connor Simpson, 15, from North Ayrshire, was born totally blind. But now, thanks to the ground-breaking technology, he has gained a level of independence he and his family never thought possible.
Connor’s mother Janice recalls the first time her son was able to read and order from a restaurant menu, weeks after receiving the device.
The 59-year-old carer says: ‘An activity as simple as reading a menu and ordering from it is something so many of us take for granted, but Connor had never been able to do it. It was a really lovely moment.’
The miniature gadget, called OrCam MyEye 2.0, is the size of a finger and allows blind and partially sighted people to read text from emails to books and even on advertising hoardings. It is able to recognise products and banknotes, and has potential to help those with dyslexia or those learning to speak again after a brain injury.
The device resembles a compact, smart camera which is magnetically attached to the user’s glasses.
First, the camera takes a picture of what the user is looking at. It then uses sophisticated algorithms to interpret the information, at a similar speed to healthy eyes, and tells the user what it is. Users can specify elements of the OrCam’s ‘voice’, such as local dialect and gender.
The device can function fully without internet connectivity thanks to refined artificial intelligence, developed by the same computer science professors at the University of Jerusalem that pioneered selfdriving car technology.
The camera helps users read by shining LED lights on a passage of text, guided by the point of a user’s finger. When the desired spot is recognised, the device emits a beep, instructing users to remove the finger. It ‘reads’ the words and recalls them to the user via the earpiece. To make it stop reading, users hold up their hands in front of the camera.
Ian White, an OrCam trainer who is partially sighted, says: ‘I can open my fridge and tell a yogurt from a pot of rice pudding. I can go to the train station and find out what time my train is coming from the board, without having to ask someone. Or I can pick out my own clothes confidently, thanks to a colour recognition system, telling me whether a jumper is green or pink.’ He adds: ‘One of the most useful features is the facial recognition system. You simply touch the button on the camera and, after a tone, say the person’s name. The camera scans the dimensions of the person’s face and stores them.
‘Next time that person comes into view, the device will immediately recognise them and announce their name in their voice.
‘It’s the same with a tin of beans or syrup. It can tell the difference between HP beans or Heinz beans – it stores details of new products that have been uploaded.’
The OrCam device has already made a huge difference to Connor’s life in the few weeks he’s had it.
‘He thinks it’s absolutely brilliant,’ Janice says. ‘Before he had no sight at all and it was very difficult for him to access papers, magazines or books. Now he can read anything he chooses, without having to get a braille version or an audiobook.’
The OrCam MyEye 2.0 costs £3,600. It is not yet available on the NHS, but some organisations offer grants towards it and charities may part-fund it. Connor’s device was paid for by a fundraising campaign organised by a family friend.
Robin Spinks, Innovation and Technology Partnerships Manager at the RNIB, says: ‘OrCam’s pioneering assistive technology offers users increased independence by allowing them to read printed or digital text, road signs, products in shops, and even to recognise the faces of loved ones. This gives blind and partially sighted people a greater sense of freedom and helps them to face the future with confidence.’
HE READS ANYTHING WITHOUT USING BRAILLE OR AUDIOBOOKS