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Friday, June 04, 2004

"Heads-up display promises to help near-blind to navigate"
University of Washington students have turned a pair of Elvis Costello-style eyeglasses and a backpack into a system that helps the near-blind navigate around stationary objects. Their Wearable Low Vision Aid projects icons on top of obstacles seen in a heads-up display, using a laser diode and a vibrating crystal fiber made from components that cost less than $1. The system projects a bright warning icon � visible even to the legally blind � into the eye so as to illuminate just the part of the retina where the approaching obstacle is imaged. As a consequence, approaching obstacles are brightly highlighted, making them easy for the blind person to avoid (even if his or her vision is too poor to discern what they are).Audio Interviews / Text: http://www.eet.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=21401522