A Tomsk Scientist Is Working on the Device for Spatial Orientation of Visually Challenged People

Radio physicist Vitaly Khmelevis working on the device which will help visually challenged people to orient in space. By 2021, the Tomsk scientist will create a hardware and software system which will alert a person to obstacles and their sizes.

According to the scientist, the optical system installed on the rim of an eye-glass will obtain information about an object.

"The optical system will obtain information about an object, the information will be transmitted to a tactile matrix with the help of the software, which will allow to inform the user about obstaclesand distances to them in real time by means of vibration. The closer the object is, the more intensive is vibration", Vitaly Khmelev explains.

The developer assumes that the system will allow to distinguish up to 5 objects at a time and to detect obstacles at a distance of up to 10 meters.

Information will be updated 30 times a second.

The system will cost 30 to 50 thousand rubles (460 – 760 US dollars). The radio physicist plans to get the patent for this device in 2021.

Visually challenged and blind people, as well asthe branches of the All RussiaAssociation of the Blind, will become the ultimate users of the device