Realizing the Next Generation Visual Aid

1
Realizing the Next Generation Visual Aid
Paul MoganJune 21, 2004
2
Some History

• The first generation LVES 1994
• Developed by NASA and Johns Hopkins
• Headset weight 2.5 LB, mostly forward
• Black White image
• Quickly became uncomfortable
• Unsuitable for the elderly due to weight
• Totally obstructed field of view

3
Some History

• Second Generation JORDY 1.0 1999
• Color Image
• Lighter
• Can act as CCTV on a stand

4
Some History

• Third Generation Jordy 2 2001
• Color images
• Weighs only 7 oz
• Better low light performance
• Better depth of field
• Can easily be looked around for orientation

5
Why is Next Generation Visual Aid Important?

• Millions of people in America have severe vision
  loss.
• According to the Lighthouse National Survey on
  Vision Loss, in 2010 there will be an estimated
  8.3 million Americans, ages 65 and over who have
  some type of visual impairment. This number is
  expected to grow quickly from 2010 to 2030 to a
  total of 14.8 million elderly Americans with a
  visual impairment, 7.7 million of which will have
  a severe impairment.
• According to the National Advisory Eye Council,
  the economic impact of visual disorders and
  disabilities was approximately 14.2 billion per
  year in 1981. By 1995 this figure was estimated
  to have risen to more than 38.4 billion per
  year.
• We are changing peoples lives for the better.
  We are giving them hope. We are CREATING ABILITY
• Proverbs says Without Vision the people perish
  Proverbs 2918

6
Why is Next Generation Visual Aid Important?

• How much is it worth to be able to see faces?
• How much is it worth to be able to read stories
  to your kids?
• Whats the price of a persons self-esteem?
• The reason, above all else, is that we are
  helping PEOPLE

7
Goal for Advanced Visual Aid

• To create Ability from Disability for those with
  visual impairment
• Address both the needs of low vision patients AND
  those with situational visual impairments
• Target developments to both the wide consumer
  market AND the disability market
• Mass consumer market will attract partners,
  finance research and lower the cost of what is
  developed

8
Concept for Low Vision Aid
Electronics Wireless communications
Battery
Image processing, camera control wireless
communications
Display
Camera
9
How Do We Achieve This Goal?

• The consumer marketplace is driving the
  developments we need
• Smaller and more powerful ultra portable
  computers (computer gaming and laptops)
• Increasing integration of functionality into
  portable devices (cell phone, PDA etc)
• Computer, cell phone, Personal Digital Assistants
  (PDAs), Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)
• Wireless communication and smart networks
• Improved display technologies with better
  resolution, higher contrast and lower power
  consumption (portable computing)
• Smaller batteries with higher energy density
  (laptops, cell phones)
• Smaller, lighter optics and cameras (digital
  cameras, camcorders)
• We ride the wave of these technologies and
  develop only what we need to.

10
Innovative Displays Make New Devices Possible
Todays Technology

• Electronic Ink (e-ink.com) gives a paper-like
  high contrast reflective display visible in even
  bright light.
• Displays are light, thin and low power
• Picture shows Sony e-book device with e-ink
  display

11
Innovative Displays Make New Devices Possible
Todays Technology

• Philips has developed a display which can be
  rolled up
• Displays can be large but fit into compact spaces.

12
Shrinking Size of Portable Electronics
Todays Technology

• Worlds smallest cell phone 3.3 X 2.1 X 0.33
  weighing 2.5 oz.
• Philips keychain camcorder, camera, MP3 player,
  flash drive
• MPEG4 Camcorder (25 min QVGA _at_ 30 fps), QVGA is
  240 x 320 pixels
• Micro display viewfinder
• 2MP Digital Still Camera (200 pics)
• USB direct battery re-charge
• 128MB USB storage device
• 2 hours of MP3 play-back

NEC N900 phone
Philips Key019
13
Computing Needs for Next Generation Visual Aid
Todays Technology

• A controller for next generation low vision aid
  should
• Provide wireless connection to head mounted
  portion
• Provide internet connectivity to promote
  wayfinding and incorporation of other
  capabilities
• Integrate easily with capabilities developed by
  other researchers
• Be capable of exploiting RFID and other
  technologies
• Computing needs might be satisfied in one of 3
  ways
• Computers with a laptop form factor
• Computers with a PocketPC form factor
• Cellular phones (most promising)

14
Tiny Laptop-Type Computers
Todays Technology

• Tiny computer in a laptop form factor
  Flipstart computer (Vulcan)
• 1 GHz Transmeta Crusoe processor
• 5.8 X 4 X 1
• Weighs 1 pound
• Built in 802.11G wireless

15
Pocket-Sized PC
Todays Technology

• Going beyond todays very light laptops, there
  are currently several different ultra-personal
  computers
• The size of a PDA
• Also function as a desktop computer when in
  docking stand
• Run Windows XP and have 1 GHz processor
• USB, wireless internet, Bluetooth, firewire etc

Antelope Technologies
OQO
16
More Than A Cell Phone
Todays Technology

• Nokia 7700
• Music and video playback and streaming
• Internet browsing
• Video playback (Realplayer)
• 640x480 camera with 2X digital zoom
• FM radio
• Email , text messaging, multimedia messaging
• MP3 player
• Integrated handsfree voice recorder
• Bluetooth technology (including audio)
• Personal Information Management calendar,
  contacts, tasks, calculator and more
• Word, Sheet, and Presentation Viewer Word
  Sheet converter
• Touch screen and pen-based (stylus) input
• Weight 6.5 Oz
• Dimensions 5.3 in/ x 3.1 in. x 0.9 in.
• Display size 640 x 320 pixels 65,536 colors
• On-screen keyboard
• Handwriting recognition
• Runs JAVA applets

Nokia 9500 Communicator
17
Thin-Client Computer With HMD
Todays Technology

• Microvisions Nomad Expert System
• Augmented reality HMD
• Thin client computer
• Used in automotive industry to overlay diagrams
  on hardware being worked on

Nomad System
18
Approaching the One-Chip Device
Near-term Developments (

Today it takes 1 chip for microcontrollers in
small devices, GPS and radio (see figure from
left to right - a microcontroller chip, GPS
receiver chip, OOK radio module)

19
Information Storage Batteries
Near-term Developments (

Toshiba has the worlds smallest hard drive at
about 0.85 inches diameter and holds 4 GB

Toshiba 1.8 used in Apple IPOD

IPOD Mini uses 1 Hitachi drive

Seagate 1 5GB drive to sell in 2004, one version
for mobile electronics, the other will fit into
compact flash slot

Philips Research Labs has developed the ability
to manufacture curved Li Ion batteries that do
not compromise battery efficiency

Battery design can be ergonomic

Direct Methanol Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Fuel
Cells are also coming to market

Toshiba Hard Drive
Lithylene curved battery cell
20
Tiny Auto-focus Lenses Cameras
Near-term Developments (

Philips Research Labs has developed a tiny
variable focus fluid lens. It is aimed at the
digital camera market. The picture shows a
camera with the lens on it. On the right is the
lens by itself. The lens can become concave or
convex.

21
Trends in Semiconductor Industry
Near-term Developments (

Computer chips

Chip makers are now moving from a 90 nanometer
feature size to a 65 nanometer feature size.
This will reduce chip sizes and power
consumption.

Intel has just released a new chip set and
reference design which enables smaller PDAs

Processors for mobile computing continue to
become faster and have lower power consumption

22
Trends in Cell Phone Processor Performance
Near-term Developments (

Intel just introduced a MEMS chip that integrates
passive components onto a single chip, saving 66
in size

Hermon, Intel's next-generation integrated
cellular processor will integrate the Bulverde
application processor formally launched last week
as well as a baseband processor and flash.

The Hermon chip will bring Pentium-class
performance to cell phones and could help reduce
component count which today hovers at about 200
parts in phones with 286-class performance

Cell phones can now read RFID tags. Nokia
recently introduced a Mobile RFID kit for its
5140 GSM phones. (Check out www.nwfusion.com,
DocFinder 1729, for details).

Cell phones are adding the processing power and
capabilities and already have internet access.
They already have a huge user base and are
produced in the millions.

23
Trends in PCs
Near-term Developments (

Developments in PCs

AMD's HyperTransport allows a computer's key
components to communicate with each other at
speeds of up to 50 times faster than the PCI bus
currently used in most PCs

PCI Express - faster and simpler version of the
PCI bus that promises to reduce the size and cost
of both plug-in cards and motherboards

Serial ATA - high-speed storage interface that
cuts down on the cabling within PCs

Serial-Attached SCSI - speed-scalable and less
power-hungry version of the familiar SCSI storage
device interface that also allows for physically
smaller drives

Express-Card - new PC expansion card standard,
based on PCI Express, replaces older PCMCIA cards
with smaller, faster and cheaper plug-in modules

Transition from 32-bit to 64-bit technology

24
Engineering The ProductChallenge Transparent
Use

• This is one of our big challenges
• Involves
• Ease of use
• Intuitiveness
• Enhance senses we use
• Many low vision patients are elderly. Many in
  the current generation of elderly people suffer
  from Technophobia
• Clinical trials and real-world feedback are
  crucial

25
Engineering The ProductChallenge Operational
Inertia

• What kind of resistance does the device have
  against its use?
• Involves
• Ease of setup time and effort required before
  initial use
• Interactive complexity how difficult is device
  to interact with (controls etc)
• Obtrusiveness of device
• When not in use
• When in use does it make you look like a geek?
• Price to the end user
• Many low vision patients are elderly with fixed
  income
• 4,000 is too much for many of them