A clinical neurologist at the University of Oxford is working on a pair of glasses that is meant to help the near blind better see shapes and people.
The glasses could be ready as early as 2014.
Dr. Stephen Hicks and a group of researchers say they were inspired by the technology in Xbox 360 Kinect games and iPads, and are developing these cheap, smart glasses for people who have the ability to detect light, but can't fully see.
The glasses would use tiny cameras mounted on the corners of the lenses to detect and send information to a cell-hone sized computer. The computer would then translate the information and transmit it to LEDs inside the lenses of the glasses. The LEDs would light up in large distinct patterns that the wearer would be trained to understand.
The glasses could also include an earpiece that could give more detailed spoken information, like a departure time for a bus.
The goal is to bring the glasses in at under £1,000 each.