SBIR Phase I: An Information Handling System for Low Vision

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project from JBliss Imaging Systems will determine feasibility of specialized software that enables people with low vision to quickly read and process information from many sources, and to write and send information to many locations. The research objective is to combine optical character recognition (OCR), speech synthesis and recognition technologies, together with displays based on the latest vision research to provide an integrated system with a consistent, easy to learn, command structure. Customizable displays are needed to accommodate a variety of visual impairments. The user interface should not require viewing the screen, yet it should present visual displays useful to a low vision person and be intuitive to fully sighted teachers experienced with graphical user interfaces (GUIs). System functions should include the following: reading printed documents; enlarging pictures; writing and word processing documents; receiving, reading, and writing e-mail; accessing and interacting with the Internet; using an address database; saving and retrieving documents; printing; performing calculations; tracking financial accounts; and using a video camera for magnification while hand writing and viewing 3D objects. Commercial applications are in schools, libraries, businesses, and homes. Since approximately 5% of individuals over age 15 have difficulty reading newsprint, even when wearing corrective lens, the potential market is large