The ability to see is one of the greatest gifts of life. Those who are devoid of this gift know the true worth of this blessing. The human eye is the organ of vision. It is a vital organ that not only plays an important role in human life but is also important for the human body. The sense of sight is the most important among all senses as it assists all other senses to perform properly and provide humans with the knowledge of the environment they live in.
All the shapes, things, colors, dimensions among many other things are seen because of the reflection of light from them to the eye. The eye can differentiate between objects when the light is bright or dark but cannot see at all once it is dark. If we look around, all our activities are dependent on the eyes. Whether it is watching television, reading books, washing the car or writing, no activity can be optimally performed without the eyes or the sense of sight.
History
eSight was invented by Conard Lewis in the year 2013. Conard Lewis belongs to Canada and is an electrical engineer by profession. He had two blind sisters who were the main motivation behind this invention. He wanted to build a device that could enable his sisters to see, work and perform all activities of life with ease and comfort like normal people. Hepledged to his sisters that he can make a device that could make them see again. So in 2006, he gathered a team of engineers and started working on the project.
The first generation of this device was released in October 2013. It was named eSight 1. Afterwards, in May 2015, the second generation of this device by the name of eSight 2 was created with several hardware upgrades including HD OLED screens which offered enhanced colors and screen resolution. The enhanced battery time of the device was also introduced in its second generation model.
Furthermore, in February 2017, the current generation of this device was introduced by the name of eSight 3.This is the third generation of this device which offers a lot of software and hardware changes. The super quick response of the device is its main feature. This device was included in the Time Magazine’s “The Best Tech of 2017 So Far”.
eSight 3
While designing this device, engineers had a few considerations in their mind. They wanted to have a revolutionary design of the device which could make human vision even better. They also wanted it to be comfortable enough to be worn and while using the device, both their hands should remain free to perform other routine activities. The device should be comfortably able to switch between short range and long range objects with the facility of auto-focusing the image without any lag. Not only this, the device should be able to be generic enough to be used in any medium of light including low and very bright light.
The engineers wanted this device to be a replacement of all prior devices that assisted blinds to see like the text to speech software, Braille machines, white canes, magnifying devices etcetera by bringing in the actual sense of sight through the device. Mobility of the device was another important consideration while designing it.
eSight Corp developed this device with the belief which is also their tagline that “Everyone Deserves To See”. The company aims to eradicate blindness and make it a thing of the past by the year 2020 by introducing this device which can enable all blind people to see again. Presently, eSight is the only device which has been clinically validated for use. This device is registered with EUDAMED and FDA and has also been inspected by Health Canada before its formal launch in the market.
The device is similar to a normal pair of glasses. In fact, it seems like a cross between a set of virtual reality goggles and a pair of sunglasses. A blind person can simply wear it and turn it on to see. No surgery is involved for using this device, therefore, it is actually very safe and easy to use. The device is a visor-like headset which is affixed with a full high definition and a high-speed camera. These head-sets are actually a little big but not too unattractively huge.
The user can easily put them on with the help of a pair of elastic, magnetic bands. A 1080p camera is fixed at the front of the head-set which recordsthe live video feed of everything happening in sight range. There is a processing unit which is attached to it. This processing unit can be placed in the pocket. The image or live video feed so received is processed in this unit which in turns displays the image on the OLED screens worn inside the device.
The device works equally well for completely blind people as well as those having low vision. Approximately 1.2 million Americans over the age of 40 years are presently blind and around 3 million have low vision issues as per American Academy of Ophthalmology. This device uses modern electronics and software to make the sense of sight available for all. This device not only enables a full high definition image of the complete field of view without any lag but also allows the user to zoom into the image or capture a video.
Not only this, eSight offers the users to control and adjust contrast, focus, brightness and magnification upto their desired level. This device gives a total magnification of 24X which is not possible with the help of the naked eye. This device initially cost about $15,000 but was brought down to $9,995 to allow more people to buy it. Insurance companies currently do not cover this device, however, the company provides this device to those who cannot afford it through fundraisers and grants.
The device is dust and water resistant. It has an optical trackpad for on-screen UI navigation and advanced controls. The device possesses a manual and auto range-based on/off button in order to get additional brightness in dark environments. The head mounted device is also equipped with speakers in order to have a UI feedback as well as streaming the recorded media. Along with all of this, the device comes with a 3-year warranty of hardware for normal use, lifetime software updates and eSight Ambassador Support. The box contains the following things:
- eSight 3 Head Mounted Device
- eSight 3 Controller
- Frames
- Back Strap
- HDMI Cable
- Wall Charger and Cable
eSight has helped innumerable individuals see again.The importance and worth of this device can truly be understood by those who have lost or never had the sense of sight. eSight Corp provides a 15-days risk-free trial at home for this miracle device before purchase.Interested individuals simply fill out a form on their website and can avail the trial period before purchase. Newer models and improved technology will surely improve the device but even in its present form, it is a ray of hope for the blind and therefore nothing less than a modern scientific miracle.