Thinking BIG
A low-cost camera mouse can help those with blurred vision to
read the fine print
Posted On Sunday, April 27, 2008
Anand Sachar
Those with blurred vision have some relief in sight now. They
need not struggle over small print, or depend on the size of print that
newspapers or magazines choose to use. With a camera mouse in hand, they can
tackle even the footnotes. M S Raju is the man with the vision, who has made
this possible. President of the Vision Aid Charitable Services Society in
Vishakhapatnam, and an electrical engineer by profession, Raju has come up with
a low cost camera mouse, to help visually-disadvantaged people. He was awarded
a grant of Rs 50,000 grant by the Ministry of Science and Technology for this
innovation, and has worked on it for three years. The most heartening feature
of this technology application for the common man is its low cost. "The
international devices cost Rs 25,000 upwards.
Another one, which is available in India, is big and heavy,
and costs Rs 7000. This one costs Rs 2000, and so is likely to be of more help
to the visually impaired people in our country," says Raju. How does it work?
Says Raju, "The camera mouse is a palm-sized handheld device that can be
connected to your regular television set. People with low vision can move this
camera mouse over the text they want to read. For instance, if they move it
slowly across the columns of a newspaper article, a scanned magnified picture
of the print will appear on the TV screen in real time. The magnification is up
to 20 times." Thus people with low vision can see bright colour images of any
printed or written material on the TV screen.
It doesn't require rocket science to use it either. And no,
it does not interfere with working of normal cable TV or antenna-received
programmes, as it uses the video signal route.
The camera mouse is light, less than 100 gms, and looks like
a small digital camera. "In fact, it uses a miniature movie camera," explains
Raju. It requires a simple one socket connection. This small size and
portability is an innovation too.
The parts are not too costly. The main parts are a high-tech
miniature movie colour camera and a special low voltage circuit. The Vision Aid
Society, which distributes it, covers it with warranty. The society also helps
to repair the device if anything goes wrong with it.
Source:
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article§id=79&contentid=2008042720080428160623112bbda9a1a#
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