In November 2013, an article appeared here about OrCam, a camera-based system which allows the visually impaired to both read and identify objects with a point of a finger. The device is a small camera connected by a thin cable to a portable computer in the wearer’s pocket. The system clips on to the wearer’s glasses with a small magnet and uses a bone-conduction speaker to read aloud words or identification of objects pointed to by the user.
At its current state of development, the Orcam can read printed text, and it can be taught by the user to identify known people and personal objects. This is new technology that is now being made available in certain areas of the United States, to include New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Cleveland, Charlotte, Seattle, Denver, Washington DC, Boston, Baltimore, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Austin, Orlando, West Virginia, North Dakota.
To learn more about it, call 1-800-713-3741 or visit www.orcam.com.