Vision

22:12 November 3, 2009 PST

The Popeye audio visual robotic head developed by the POP team

The ease with which human beings make sense of their environment through a range of sensory signals belies the complex processing involved. Approaches to give robots the same purposeful perception we take for granted have typically involved studying visual and auditory processes independently. By combining data from both sound and vision European researchers have developed technology that could facilitate robotic understanding and responses to human behavior and even conversations, bringing us closer to a future where humanoid robots can act as guides, mix with people, or use perception to infer appropriate actions. Read More

ROBOTICS

Cyclops - the visually-impaired robot

By Jeff Salton

19:32 October 22, 2009 PDT

The Cyclops mobile robotic platform is designed to be used as a surrogate for blind perso...

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a remote-controlled robot to help test the effectiveness of visual prostheses, such as an artificial retina, which are implanted into visually-impaired patients. Cyclops the robot - or, rather, the mobile robotic platform, or rover - lets scientists “see” the results that human patients could expect without having to test the device on them first. It is hoped that this approach may spare them some unnecessary procedures and one day lead to giving blind people the freedom of independence. Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

BrainPort for the visually impaired - ‘seeing’ with the tongue

By Jeff Salton

00:10 August 19, 2009 PDT

The BrainPort device helps the blind to 'see' through their tongues

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than one million Americans over the age of 40 are legally blind - defined by U.S. law as vision that is 20/200 or worse, or have a field of view that is less than 20 degrees in diameter. It is estimated that adult vision loss costs the country about $51.4 billion per year. A new device aims to help restore the experience of vision for the blind and visually impaired by using nerves on the tongue's surface to send light signals to the brain. Read More

RESEARCH WATCH

Harnessing blowflies to teach robots how to see

By Michael Mulcahy

19:24 August 11, 2009 PDT

Scientists are using a fly 'flight simulator' to understand how a blowfly can process visu...

One of the biggest challenges facing robotics is teaching machines to perceive surroundings and make sense of what they see. Attempting to duplicate the complexity of human perception is next to impossible, so researchers at Cognition for Technical Systems (CoTeSys) in Munich are, instead, studying how blowflies process images using a 'flight simulator'. Despite having a brain the size of a pinhead, a fly can process and interpret 100 discrete images per second – four times better than humans. Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Wink Glasses - there won't be a dry eye in the house

By Mick Webb

19:49 August 4, 2009 PDT

Wink Glasses set to remind those forgetful blinkers

The eye strain and resulting damage that often afflicts those who forget to blink while on a gaming marathon or glued to the Internet is a widespread problem. To combat this, Japan’s Masunaga Optical Manufacturing has unveiled Wink Glasses, which feature blink-sensing lenses that start to fog if the wearer neglects to keep their peepers hydrated. Read More

GOOD THINKING

'Nike' Hindsight concept glasses increase peripheral vision

By Darren Quick

21:58 July 5, 2009 PDT

City cyclists could benefit from the extended peripheral vision provided by the Nike Hinds...

Cyclists aren’t always very visible to motorists, which is one of the reasons they need to be super vigilant when dealing with city traffic. As the saying goes, you need "eyes in the back of your head". To that end designer Billy May has come up with a concept design for cycling glasses that extend a rider’s peripheral vision by up to 25 percent on each side. Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Sight restored in less than a month using stem cell contact lenses

By Darren Quick

07:09 June 2, 2009 PDT

Contact lenses coated with stem cells could help cure some forms of blindness

The humble contact lens has long been used to improve people’s vision, but now researchers have restored sight in patients suffering corneal damage using a technique where contact lenses are cultured with stem cells. Fast, cheap and non-invasive, the groundbreaking technique even has the potential for regrowing skin and other organs. Read More

RESEARCH WATCH

Innovative contact lenses look to dispense drugs

By Karen Sprey

00:02 May 26, 2009 PDT

The antibacterial agent ciprofloxacin suspended in a biodegradable polymer, which can be i...

Eye-drops may be a simple way of medicating the eye, but patients don't always get the right dose at the right time. Eyenovations has developed contact lenses that can deliver drugs to the eye in measured doses for a month or longer. The start-up company’s initial focus is developing a lens to help glaucoma patients. However, it believes the technology can be used to help other eye conditions and deliver antibiotics following surgery. Read More