Video Headsets for the Vision Impaired?

OldHawk777 asks: "Does anyone know of a source for a lightweight wearable video headset system for vision impaired people? Are there vision degeneration diseases that such a vision system would be specifically useful to the vision impaired person? Would USA Medicare and/or private insurance pay for such a medical device?"

"I have searched a few times over the past few years for a lightweight wearable video system for vision impaired people (Legally Blind). I am looking for a hardware and software configuration that allows people full mobility around home and for short walks. Considering that, I am only talking about a good quality digital camera, video card, video-headset, external power/batter and maybe some firmware on the video circuitry for personal preference configuration (I figure, maybe $300 to $800). The system would not be for replacing the seeing-eye-dog or cane-navigation, but neither can read and it is hard learning Braille at age 65.

A small good quality digital camera as input, to video circuitry with firmware, allowing adjustments/configuration (contrast, color, magnification, etc) and flash-save of user requirements, with output to a good quality video headset (providing adjustable viewing maybe about 125cm@1.5m to 250cm@1m).

So, who has one ready? Please share their website with us, so I can pass the information to the friends, children, and grandchildren of some folks that I know. All of the websites I have visited show only NTSC/PAL/HDTV/camcorder systems for television, airline movies in first-class, virtual environments, military simulations/games, and so on. Most configurations were structured around existing entertainment centers and VE generators, none were appropriate for reading and looking at reality and/or for vision impaired people.

Thanks in advance, for all your helpful comments and directions."

Comments

shut up

[Anonymous Coward]

first post, shut up

WARNING Tsarkon reports SLASHDOT TRACKS AC-IP-USER

[Anonymous Coward]

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Re:WARNING Tsarkon reports SLASHDOT TRACKS AC-IP-U

[readpunk]

The world is falling apart!!!! AAAAHHHH!

This is another example of spinless moderation

[Anonymous Coward]

This is just another example of spineless crap moderation here on /.

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CENSORSHIP WORKS!

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So, you busy little plebian proletariats, get busy, you have some censoring to do! FUN! Do the bidding of your fat, undisciplined masters who never subject themselves to peer review!

Good job you little neo-commies. Don't want to hear the other side, shoot the fucker in the head as an ENEMY OF THE STATE [In this case anyone who seeks to improve the sad state of/.].

A few haikus to commemorate the sucktitude:
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Dumb shit moderator!
Try to suck less, please

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Censor him quickly

The reason China blocked Slashdot is that when Jiang Xemin saw at how good "The Editors" at Slashdot are at suppressing the community, he knew that if more of his party members saw this degree of suppressive efficacy, he would be deposed, for the good of the people, of course, in favor of Rob Malda as the all new supreme dictator and premier of China.

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Get busy moderating this down, you little pack of obedient prefects of the corrupt state! You are the vanguards of purity, and dissent is not allowed!

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BSD

tools for the impaired

[tchdab1]

I don't know about visual systems for the visually impaired.

However, I can wholeheartedly recommend the headphones that come with the Archos MP3 player for anyone who can't hear - I can't imagine that anyone who *can* hear would ever enjoy them.

Re:WARNING Tsarkon reports SLASHDOT TRACKS AC-IP-U

[sevensharpnine]

I'd like a little elaboration, if you know anything else about having mod priviledges revoked. I've hit the karma cap plenty of times (and lost it due to -1's) and I ended up losing my mod abilities. I thought it might have been due to a couple inflammatory posts, but now I'm wondering. I gave up mod abilities in my preferences page two years ago, and last year I re-checked it to keep some of the astroturfers down and non-groupthinkers up. In the last year, despite meta-modding consistently and (usually) being a good citizen, I haven't been asked to mod once. It's a little aggravating, especially during those times when people get mod'd up for things that don't belong in a rational debate.