Smart Glasses as Reading Assistant

January 2018 - A recent article in Japan Times detailed Oton Glass, a Japanese startup that has developed a set of smart glasses designed to help people with dyslexia to read more easily. The glasses feature a 3D printed frame, two small cameras and an earpiece that reads out words in the eye-line of the user. Oton Glass CEO, Keisuke Shimakage was inspired by his experiences with his father’s health and reading issues following a stroke. Speaking to this, Shimakage said, “It was after my father was hit by the stroke that I first realized our world is actually full of letters, and that being unable to read them may cause a significant disadvantage in our daily lives. Seeing that, I realized it might be a great help for people who have difficulty reading if I develop a device that converts the text they see to speech so they can access various information without the help of others.”

 

The Oton Glass uses a 3D printed frame and a Raspberry Pi for its processing, uses eye tracking to determine what the user wants to be read aloud. In addition, the device is capable of connecting to Google’s cloud translation software to translate from one language to another. On why he chose a glasses format, Shimakage said, "The key is how we can let users experience the device as a part of their own body. Holding up a smartphone is not an instinctive human action, and it looks odd from the standpoint of other people as well. But seeing something through glasses is closer to people’s instinctive behavior." 

 

Shimakage hopes to continue developing the Oton Glass and expand its reach into other communities. On the company's future he said, “Ultimately, I want Oton Glass to be a device that enhances the basic senses of human beings. And I believe people who have difficulties in their lives are important partners for me to work with together toward that goal.”

Source: Shusuke Murai, Japan Times.