It’s more than fair to say, that since November of 2020 when the first genuine pair of smart glasses for visually impaired people was released, that the competition in this particular market has evolved and is growing at a phenomenal rate as more and more companies are entering the space with ideas on how to solve age old problems we experience in our daily lives. These issues mainly relate to problems with reading and identifying text, navigating safely, locating objects and having a clear idea of your surroundings.
In terms of reading text and detailed scene descriptions, there are many different solutions currently available whether it’s an app on a smartphone or a specialist device. However, the two issues I personally find most challenging are navigating safely when both indoors and outdoors and locating different objects accurately and with confidence, which could be about to change, thanks to a new pair of smart glasses Seva Vision.
I am now involved in testing the software for the developers and the results, even at this early stage have been rather extraordinary and already have the potential to be extremely unique, life changing and can give information and details which are different to any other similar device I have previously tested.
Now in all honesty, it’s the “navigation” and “find object” features which have really got me excited. I’ve used similar features on other devices before, but none of them come anywhere close to matching the level of accuracy and detail in the Seva Vision Glasses.
Most other devices will just give a general description of objects such as “there is a table and two chairs in front of you.” You have no idea how far away the items actually are or exactly where they are actually located. However, the Seva Vision Glasses take this to the next level by giving the exact location of objects and how far away they are, which gives me access to more information than I have ever had before. Similarly, when using the “navigation” feature, audio instructions are given on where there are clear paths and the direction to go, but they then go the extra mile by giving additional information such as “walk for three meters and follow the wall on your right”, which could be extremely useful for cane users, in particular. The Seva Vision glasses also have some other interesting features such as face recognition, magnification and an SOS feature which allows you to call a designated contact in an emergency.
The text reading features on these glasses are vision based so still quite basic, however the next edition will be OCR enhanced, meaning you have more useability and can read offline, which is much more beneficial. The scene description feature is very detailed, but this sort of AI is already being used on lots of different devices, though it will be a massive and integral part of these glasses going forward.
What is also great is that the glasses can be personalised to provide the priorities and features most suitable to an individual, for example, digital zoom features for those with Low Vision making zooming on TV programs or small prints possible.
Some final points to make are that while most similar devices require a smartphone app to drive them in some way, the Seva Vision Glasses can be used completely on their own without the need for a mobile phone tether. They can be controlled via a touchpad or most interestingly, completely by voice activated commands, meaning that I have a completely hands-free solution which is a huge help, especially when using my Guide Dog. If you were to purchase the Seva glasses, they are supported by a SEVA on the GO pack; wi-fi dongle, a portable battery, Bluetooth speaker and magnetic charger, so you never need to worry about overuse, you can charge them while wearing and using them.
Unlike other consumer products in the market, SEVA is a specialist product dedicated to the Blind and Low Vision community to meet their special needs. SEVA is hardware agnostic providing them the freedom to bring versatile frame options in the future through manufacturing partnerships.
To sum-up, while these glasses will evolve, it’s already great to be part of the journey and I personally can’t wait to see where they go from here, as their potential is huge. The team is continuously evolving software & hardware to bring advance features to the community, and new and long-lasting hardware is already in the pipeline.
So, without doubt, extremely exciting times are ahead.
www.sevavision.com
A little about Purview Technology, the Scottish Company behind SEVA Vision
SEVA Vision was founded by Mani Gupta and Reddy Punna, both core technologists with over three decades of industry experience, dedicated to delivering cutting- edge solutions to clients. As industries increasingly adopt wearables integrated with AI and AR for enhancing the capabilities of field workers, Mani and Reddy envisioned using the same AI models to assist a team member who had lost their sight at an early age. They trained the AI models to recognise everyday items like sandwiches and milk bottles in a refrigerator, allowing their blind colleague to identify objects around them. This marked the inception of SEVA Vision, with a mission to leverage AI and AR-powered smart wearables to enhance the lives of people with sensory impairments related to sight, sound, or speech.
www.purviewtech.ai
SEVA Vision’s current glasses are now available to buy. They can be purchased as part of a subscription and licence model. All software and hardware upgrades will be free to those within the SEVA Vision Community.
To learn more about owning your first SEVA Glasses, please contact stuart.beveridge@seescape.org.uk or lorraine@purview.co.uk
Look out for Purview Technologies latest development in your next Newsletter.
Following on from SEVA Vision, Maitiri, a solution developed to support individuals who are either Deaf or hearing impaired will be launched in the Winter. Glasses are currently being designed and testing will soon be complete.
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