Wearable Low Vision Aids based upon Retinal Light Scanning Technologies

基于视网膜光扫描技术的可穿戴低视力辅助设备

• 批准号: 9978888
• 负责人: Eric Seibel
• 金额: $ 29.97万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-03-01 至 2004-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9978888&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Wearable; Low; Vision; Aids; based

9978888SeibelThe problem of applying advanced electronic imaging and computer display technologies to aid persons with visual disabilities has resulted in bulky and obtrusive eyewear that has been shown in the marketplace not to be worth the high price. Nonetheless, with US citizens both living and staying active longer, there is even greater need for effective, wearable, and desirable low vision aids. There are 14 million Americans that are hampered in their daily lives by partial loss of visual acuity and/or insufficient visual field (National Advisory Eye Council 1998), and that number is expected to rise much faster than the rate of population growth. A new approach is being undertaken in this study, hinging upon a new display technology, called retinal light scanning. By scanning a low power beam of light from a laser or light-emitting diode directly into the eye, a bright image is generated as the beam is modulated in power and scanned across the retina. This 'laser light show on the retina' provides not only brighter display illumination than standard displays, but the narrow beam provides unprecedented depth of focus. Reading speed studies conducted in our laboratory have shown that retinal light scanning has great potential for transferring images to the retina with minimal distortion. In concert with the recent development of retinal light scanning, technological improvements have been made in micro-cameras, wearable computers, real-time image processing, and spectacle-mounted hardware. Our approach is to reduce the size and cost associated with retinal light scanning which will be redesigned specifically as a wearable low vision aid. We will incorporate the latest advancements by our collaborators in the areas of cameras, wearable computers, and image processing. These technologies will be integrated into prototype vision aids that will be a testbed for our newest theories of human-computer interface science, such as spectacles that have an augmented central view from retinal light scanning while allowing natural viewing of the surroundings to maintain situational awareness. In collaboration with the Department of Services for the Blind in Seattle, WA and the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, MA, we will test the prototype low vision aids and their performance in the hands of low vision volunteers doing everyday tasks. Thus, we believe the same problems that have led to a lack of acceptance of previous high-tech vision aids can be overcome by using retinal light scanning technology as a basis for our research effort. From our experience, the goals of designing and testing novel vision aids for the partially sighted in our community is highly motivating and rewarding work for both undergraduate and graduate science and engineering students.

应用先进的电子成像和计算机显示技术来帮助视力残疾人的问题已经导致了在市场上已经显示出不值得高价的笨重和突兀的眼镜。 尽管如此，随着美国公民的生活和保持活跃的时间更长，对有效，可穿戴和理想的低视力辅助设备的需求更大。 有1400万美国人在日常生活中受到视力部分丧失和/或视野不足的阻碍（国家眼科咨询理事会1998），预计这一数字的增长速度将远远超过人口增长速度。这项研究正在采用一种新的方法，它依赖于一种新的显示技术，称为视网膜光扫描。 通过将来自激光器或发光二极管的低功率光束直接扫描到眼睛中，当光束在功率上被调制并在视网膜上扫描时，产生明亮的图像。 这种“视网膜上的激光显示”不仅提供了比标准显示器更明亮的显示照明，而且窄光束提供了前所未有的焦深。 在我们实验室进行的阅读速度研究表明，视网膜光扫描具有将图像以最小失真传输到视网膜的巨大潜力。 与视网膜光扫描的最新发展相一致，在微型相机、可穿戴计算机、实时图像处理和嵌入式硬件方面已经取得了技术进步。 我们的方法是减少与视网膜光扫描相关的尺寸和成本，这将被重新设计，特别是作为一个可穿戴的低视力辅助。 我们将结合合作伙伴在相机、可穿戴计算机和图像处理领域的最新进展。 这些技术将被集成到原型视觉辅助设备中，这将成为我们最新的人机界面科学理论的测试平台，例如通过视网膜光扫描增强中央视野的眼镜，同时允许自然观察周围环境以保持情景意识。 我们将与华盛顿州西雅图的盲人服务部和马萨诸塞州波士顿的Schepens眼科研究所合作，在低视力志愿者的日常工作中测试低视力辅助设备的原型及其性能。 因此，我们相信，通过使用视网膜光扫描技术作为我们研究工作的基础，可以克服导致以前的高科技视力辅助器缺乏接受度的相同问题。 根据我们的经验，为我们社区的部分视力患者设计和测试新型视力辅助工具的目标对本科生和研究生科学和工程专业的学生来说都是非常有激励作用和有价值的工作。