OcuLenz XR Headset to Aid Visually Impaired
In the U.S. market, a new wave of AR/XR glasses is challenging the idea that such headsets are exclusively for virtual reality. OcuLenz emerges as a vital tool for individuals with central vision impairments.
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The California-based company Ocutrx has achieved an impressive breakthrough, combining medicine, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality. In November 2023, their engineers presented a new headset aimed at helping patients with age-related retinal changes.
This disease, known as “age-related macular degeneration (AMD),” is often considered incurable by ophthalmologists.
AMD affects one in twenty Americans over 60, gradually impairing central vision, causing straight lines to appear wavy and nearby objects to blur. In its advanced stages, a large yellow spot, indicative of retinal degradation from conditions like diabetes or hypertension, appears in the patient's vision.
How the OcuLenz Headset Functions
OcuLenz merges various immersive technologies that enhance reality. The headset overlays high-contrast, pixel-processed images onto the user’s remaining functional visual field.
It captures objects directly in front of the user, modifies them, and then shifts them to the area of peripheral vision.
Essentially, the device processes video images from the real world and recreates them on an augmented reality display, customized to the user’s vision level. This enables visually impaired individuals to get a complete view of their surroundings in a virtual reality format.
Users who have tested this unique headset report that its pixel processing quality far surpasses that of well-known devices like Oculus or Meta Quest, which are primarily designed for the Metaverse.
The OcuLenz headset is self-contained and can be worn throughout the day during normal activities.
Additionally, OcuLenz can connect to the internet via WiFi and respond to user commands, functioning like a smartphone or tablet. It features an AI-powered voice assistant named Simona, capable of:
- Providing weather updates.
- Calculating travel routes.
- Making phone calls to loved ones.
- Curating news of interest.
Crucially, Simona can narrate what is in front of the user and even read books aloud.
The headset's creators are currently inviting game and app developers to help expand the glasses' functionality, leveraging existing software.
OcuLenz XR Headset Source: Ocutrx
Where Can You Buy the OcuLenz XR Headset?
The Ocutrx company has spent over five years developing the OcuLenz headset. This project saw the collaboration of America's finest programmers, virtual reality system designers, and experts in developing optics for telescopes and cameras, leading to a groundbreaking medical product.
The project's founders, brothers Michael and Mitch Freeman, conducted two rounds of external funding and raised approximately $2.3 million to produce the first batch of headsets.
Notably, the primary investors in this startup are ophthalmologists and surgeons, who quickly recognized the headset's significance and its market potential in America and Europe, where nearly 20 million patients are apprehensive about progressing to the disease's final stage.
OcuLenz is preliminarily priced at $6000 and is currently available for pre-order, with its commercial launch planned for January 2024.
Interested customers can join the waiting list on the project's official website.
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