A teenager from Greece, Angelos Getsis, has won in Google’s Science
Fair 2014. The young man has claimed a prize for creating a pair of
smart glasses, which can assist blind people in navigating their way around the
city. The 17-year-old from the city of Arta, Greece, has said that the glasses
could replace the standard walking cane that is often used by the blind.
Getsis received the first prize in the Greek part of Google‘s
innovative competition, while his invention was also voted one of the six
best projects that were presented in Europe and one of the 32 best projects
globally.
The smart glasses are still in an early prototype stage. They are
powered by means of a battery and have an on/off switch. Getsis wrote the code
using some programming software and then uploaded it to the glasses. Instead of
a sound system, he installed a vibration motor in order not to interfere
with the users hearing. The Smart Glasses work by alerting the user to an
obstacle in their way by means of vibration in the frames.
The Smart Glasses are made up of a microprocessor, an ultrasonic
proximity sensor and another sensor, which can detect the position of the
user’s head, so the glasses “understand” what is around the user.
The Greek teenager is hoping that his invention will help people
with visual impairment. He came to the realization that with a few
adjustments, the sensors used in robots for environmental perception could be
also be used in special glasses to help the blind navigate the world around
them.
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