1. By the year 2020, an estimated 6 million Americans will be visually impaired.
Visual impairment causes the loss of visual accessibility, which can lead to difficulty
navigating an environment, increased risk of injury, economic disadvantages, and
difficulty maintaining social relationships. A possible approach to address these
difficulties is to use consumer technology to provide accessibility and safety
features.
The research project Augmented Reality Solutions for Low Vision seeks to
leverage the augmented reality capabilities of the Microsoft Hololens to benefit the
visually impaired. The Microsoft Hololens is a virtual reality headset that is capable
of creating and displaying 3D holograms by using computer vision to analyze and
interpret an environment. The Hololens' portability and augmented reality
capabilities, as well as rapid advances in computer vision techniques create an
unprecedented opportunity to improve the quality of life for the visually impaired.
To research how the Hololens can be used to benefit visual impairment, I will
design and implement a series of applications targeted towards specific challenges
facing the visually impaired. To determine the effectiveness of each application, I
will design a series of studies using glasses to simulate visual impairment on
subjects.
As generational trends continue, more Americans than ever before will be
visually impaired. Augmented reality technology is a rapidly developing field with
the possibility to dramatically improve the lives of the visually impaired. As the
Microsoft Hololens will soon be commercially available, this research has the
possibility to benefit millions.