In Tokyo, Fujitsu has revealed Oton Glass, it is hoping can eliminate—or at least ease—the difficulties of life without full sight. One button reads the text aloud in Japanese and the other in English. The sound is transmitted to an earpiece.
Oton Glass is a wearable smart pair of glasses that can read out written words and translate foreign text into English. It is being marketed towards the visually impaired who face difficulty reading.
Inside the Fujitsu demonstration hall was a pair of glasses fitted with a camera on the ridge above the nose. Oton Glass is capable of translating a foreign language (in this instance Japanese) into English, which is then read out to the wearer.
As appealing as that may be to travelers, the real target audience is anyone who struggles with reading. Once the glasses snap the photo, it takes between five and 20 seconds to translate. The information is then relayed over a speaker.
If you are at the supermarket and the price tag is difficult to read, simply take a photo and have the information read to you. Fujitsu said the glasses could be used on any text.
Tests by Newsweek showed the translation was found to be more accurate than the Google Translate app on Android, but it did tend to lag for up to 20 seconds.
While still in the early stages of design, Fujitsu is aiming to sell the product for around ¥300,000 ($2,730 USD). The company is hopeful government subsidies can drop the price to around ¥25,000 ($226 USD)for the consumer.
The glasses will be marketed to tourists, however the government subsidies would likely not be included.
Source: Newsweek
