⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

Polish Group Seeks to Help the Blind With Free Smart Glasses Parsee has developed a prototype of the battery-powered glasses which have a 3-D printed frame, internet protocol camera and earphone.

By Reuters

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on Reuters

Parsee

A Polish non-profit organization is hoping to help the blind and visually impaired with plans to make and give away what it says will be the world's first free smart glasses.

Parsee has developed a prototype of the battery-powered glasses which have a 3-D printed frame, internet protocol camera and earphone.

Pushing a button on the frame, users take pictures of an object in front of them, which the camera sends to a mobile phone app. The app identifies shapes, colors, text as well as faces and sends details about the image via audio to the earphone.

"It helps (the blind and visually impaired) in their everyday living like reading newspapers, drinking juice," Parsee project manager Bartosz Trzcinski said.

Parsee, which began as a family project to help a relative, has begun fundraising and has a $25,000 goal to complete research and development of a sleeker model of the glasses.

The project is still in the early stages of its longer-term goals of mass production and free distribution.

The current cost of producing one pair of glasses is $300 -- a figure Parsee aims to reduce once it has funds, demand and production in place.

Similar high-tech projects are in the works elsewhere. Britain's Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has been working with researchers on making smart glasses, to retail at less than 300 pounds ($433), that help wearers identify shapes and determine distance, its website says.

(Reporting by Reuters Television in Warsaw; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Toby Davis)

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.

Money & Finance

4 Promising Industries Investors Should Be Watching in 2024

Wondering whether your industry is on the decline or set to expand? Read on for these predictions on the best sectors for growth in 2024.