Binocular electronic magnifier for the visually impaired

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the program proposed here is to create a head mounted binocular electronic magnifier which will be highly effective, attractive, lightweight, and which will offer minimal interference with the user's other activities. MicroOptical has developed binocular viewers with up to 16 degrees field of view which are offer a high quality, high contrast binocular image in a compact package with minimal impact on the user's peripheral vision. For the device proposed here we will develop a viewer with an expanded field of view of 20-24 degrees and incorporate a miniature CMOS camera into the bridge of the device. The camera lens will be designed to give 2x magnification. The drive electronics will provide electronic magnification, brightness and contrast, and potentially other image enhancements to improve the user's ability to discern details in the image. Simple user controls will allow convenient switching between digital zoom levels of 1, 2, and 4x for up to 8x magnification of the object of interest. Pilot trials will be used to evaluate the system's ergonomics, utility, and the potential for user acceptance.