Reading has always been my favorite hobby. I learned early, and fell fast for books of all kinds. I’ll confess, until recently, I didn’t know much about assistive learning devices. But as an already vision-challenged person (I’ve been significantly nearsighted my entire life and a retinal detachment surgery 15 or so years ago lent itself to an even stronger lens prescription), I’m keenly interested in anything that might allow me to maintain one of my favorite pastimes well into my golden years.
Advancement toward that end? OrCam Technologies’ MyEye – a wearable, voice-activated visual impairment solution and the all new OrCam Read 3, an all in one solution for low vision and visual impairments including reading difficulties related to age-related vision loss, mild to moderate low vision or reading fatigue.
OrCam Technologies’ offerings have earned multiple awards and distinctions, including topping TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions list in 2019 and 2021.
Founded just nine years before their first TIME accolades landed in print, Israeli innovators Professor Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram’s mission was to enrich their customer’s daily experience – beyond just lifting text off the page. Fresh from a background with Mobileye crafting collision avoidance systems and autonomous driving innovations, Mr. Aviram brought his technological expertise to the world of handheld and wearable devices.
“Inspired by Mobileye’s groundbreaking artificial vision technology that supports safer drivers, Shashua and Aviram co-founded OrCam with the idea that we can also harness AI-driven computer vision and machine learning to bring increased independence to people who are blind or visually impaired and those with reading and learning differences,” says Lauren McCabe, Marketing Manager for OrCam in the United States. “OrCam’s devices help those with different challenges and conditions including macular degeneration, glaucoma, stargardt disease, optic neuropathy, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and dyslexia.”
The wearable MyEye allows users to instantly read text from any book and screen, seamlessly recognize faces of family and friends, accurately identify products and more. The device not only communicates information to users in real time. The newest in the lineup, the handheld OrCam Read 3 is an all-in-one solution for vision loss and reading difficulties.
“This technology is global, and it is opening the door to visual accessibility,” says Lauren. “We designed comprehensive tools that provide the right solution at the right time to enhance your experience.”
OrCam products can magnify text, transform text to speech, can translate, can zoom in on handwriting, change text by customizing contrast and background colors. OrCam can focus in on headlines or scan a recipe to see what ingredients to add to your shopping list.
Shashua and Aviram co-founded OrCam with the idea that we could harness AI-driven computer vision and machine learning to bring independence to people who are blind, those suffering from vision impairment, or even individuals who are struggling with learning differences. Not convinced? To schedule a consultation with a local representative reach out via the email provided. Sometimes, seeing is believing.
