[blindza] research

Hi Friends
Here below
I have an old e-mail of research, wonder if you have seen anything new
about this research.
I think it will help a lot if I for a start can see the movement of the
mouse on my computer and read the screen.
Cheers
Rinaldo.
  ----- Original Message -----
  Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 5:31 PM
    For more information, contact Richard Doty, (937) 775-3232.
    March 18, 2004
    Prototype system developed by Wright State computer engineer
allows blind
  to "see"

    Researchers at Wright State University have developed a
 prototype device  to help blind individuals "see."
    Nikolaos Bourbakis, Ph.D., Ohio Board of Regents Distinguished
 Professor  of Information Technology at Wright State's College of
 Engineering and  Computer Science is the principal investigator.
The project is a cooperative
  venture with Arizona State University (ASU).

    "Our object is to develop intelligent assistants that can help
 blind and  visually impaired individuals efficiently conduct daily
 tasks, such as  reading a book or newspaper and efficiently
 accessing the Web and  participating in classes," explained
 Bourbakis, who has been involved in  computer engineering eye
 research for 20 years.
    Tyflos, the Greek word for blind, is the name of the portable,
 wearable  device Bourbakis has developed. The partnering project
 at ASU is called  iLearn. A tiny camera is mounted to glasses and
connected by a thin wire to
  a modified lap-top computer the individual carries on his or her
 back. The  Tyflos system operates by identifying the images "seen"
 by the camera and  converting this to audio information the
 subject hears from small wires  connected from the backpack to the
 ear. A small microphone is attached for  receiving commands or
 requests from the user.
    Bourbakis, who started on this project in 1995, plans to work
with the WSU
  Office of Disability Services to test the device's capabilities on
visually
  impaired students. In addition, he is working on an extension of
the Tyflos
  system that enables blind individuals to independently navigate
 their  working and living environments. Two future extensions of
the Tyflos system
  will offer writing and drawing assistance that will enable the
 visually  impaired to visually express their artistic talent
beyond the usual levels.

    "The Tyflos camera captures images from the surroundings, and
the portable
  computer reconstructs the 3D space for motion detection, body
tracing, face
  recognition and moving objects," explained Bourbakis, who also
 directs the  Information Technology Research Institute and the
 Assistive Technology  Research Laboratory at Wright State.

    "This will make it possible for the blind and vision impaired
 to improve  their independent mobility and social interaction,
while succeeding in their
  professional endeavors. It is a great feeling for visually
 impaired people  to make the first call in a conversation, like hi
John, rather than waiting
  for somebody to talk to them. We are using state-of-the-art
computer vision
  and robotics technology that will help the users tremendously in
recognizing
  faces, objects, reading books, surfing the Web and safely
 navigating in  dynamic environments."

    He said the applications of the project are substantial, with an
estimated
  45 million blind individuals in the world, according to a World
 Health  Report.

    Funding for the project includes a $1.1 million National Science
  Foundation grant to ASU and Wright State. This was awarded last
 fall for  four years.

    For more details on Tyflos, contact Bourbakis at (937) 775-5138
 or  bourbaki@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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