Ask Slashdot: Best Webcam To Augment Impaired Vision?

mynamestolen writes "In order to read paper-based books many visually impaired people want to attach a webcam to a computer and attach the computer to a TV. Some Electronic Magnifiers are purpose-built to provide a similar solution. Different organisations around the world (such as in the UK) have help pages. But I have not been able to find a guide to set up my own system. So I'm asking Slashdot readers how to go about it. What is the best camera to use if I want to hold the camera in my hand and point it at book or magazine? What parameters should I adjust, either in the software or on the camera? Depth of view, refresh rates, contrast, color balance and resolution might be key problems. My system is Linux and getting drivers for a good camera might also be a problem."

Comments

Look at the prior art

[Antipater]

I know next to nothing about cameras, etc. However, I'd suggest you go look at the specs for some e-readers, if you can find them. I'd figure the design people for Amazon, B&N, or whoever else already did the homework on refresh rate, color balance, etc. to ensure readability.

Logitech C610 + ZoomText

[Anonymous Coward]

I use a mix of platforms but for Windows where things are especially bad, I use a Logitech C610 (with and without a stand) combined with a product called ZoomText (version 10 has built-in CCTV functionality now).

Get a dedicated magnifier

[Anonymous Coward]

Instead of hacking together your own solution, look for non-certified ones online. My grandmother got one for $20-30, i don't remember how much exactly, that she can use in the reading stand that was included or use with her hand (which, unless you have really steady hands, is a bad idea). It is fully adjustable in terms of DoF, zoom, etc. and can even invert colors with the flip of a switch. The real bonus is that it attaches directly to either the TV or the computer. Its so easy, she even takes it to other people's homes.

Another piece of advice, try to have an HD screen that has a proper white and black level and good contrast. According to her, it makes a world of difference compared to her old tv that was 30 years old..

For people who don't know

[decipher_saint]

Machines have been around for ages that you can use to read a book on a large screen with different levels of magnification, it has a tray that you can move around easily and it has a small CCD camera hooked up to a TV screen.

When I was in school in the 80s I used a VisualTech CCD magnifier, in fact they're still around: http://www.visual-techconnection.com/cctvs1.htm

However since most of us have computers these days it's hard to justify having such a bulky device around for books.

So what are the options:
1. Get eBooks and zoom in to your hearts content
(problem: not all books are available in eBook form)
2. Get large print copy of the book you want to read
(problem: same as above, enlargement might be impractical or unavailable [your library mileage may vary])
3. Get a stand alone magnifier device for yer book readin'
(compatible with most books and sidesteps copyright issues)

I can see how people think that computer + webcam + tray = book reader, so I'm interested to see if anyone out there in candyland has found a good setup for this.

But yes, this is a thing that visually impaired people have to deal with that so far only seems to have been solved by a handful of companies.

Re:For people who don't know

[AntEater]

There are some issues here that you're not addressing and most of them are economic. I have a family member that is legally blind and can only read with massive magnification. These CCD units are great but they cost thousands of dollars. Admittedly, it's a limited market but the manufacturers price the units assuming that some state or federal agency will be buying them - not the end user. They are dead simple with today's technology but still are priced like they're wired with gold circuits. If someone can find a supporting government or non-profit agency to help them, then they're good to go. Otherwise, they need to cough up a big chunk of cash which isn't easy for someone with very limited financial resources, as most visually impaired individuals tend to be.

Ebooks are expensive. Large print books are expensive and very, very limited in availability. Traditional lense magnifiers often do not provide adequate magnification or do not address the visual difficulty sufficiently.

When I was first looking at purchasing one of these units I was seriously outraged at the prices charged for a system that has less than $100 worth of hardware. They are essentially little more than a simple flat panel monitor, web camera, LED light and some light image processing software (invert, color masks, etc) on a stand that allows the book to slide around. I would absolutely *LOVE* to see someone come up with a good system for putting a webcam and small system together for reading - it would be great to open up the opportunities for people without the means or assistance to get a reader and, almost as wonderful, would be to put the screws to these companies that are charging such a ridiculous markup on the hardware. Unfortunately, the quality of web cameras isn't that hot but maybe there are some exceptions. I wonder if this could make for a cool Raspberry Pi project.

Re:For people who don't know

[WaywardGeek]

Ebooks are expensive. Large print books are expensive and very, very limited in availability.

Bookshare.org membership is $50/year, unless you're a student or too poor, in which case it's free. They have 175K-ish ebooks for anyone with a print reading disability, and they're adding more all the time. I read a book every week or two from them. I strongly recommend having a screen reader play them rather than suffering with something like 40 WPM if your vision is over 20/200. I listen between 600 and 800 WPM, and enjoy books now more than ever. i translate them into wav files, and play them on my Android phone while doing chores or taking a walk. it's awesome.

Magnifying Glasses

[bfandreas]

My grandma used big, huge magnifying glasses.
Are we hitting some kind of magnifying barrier or why the Rube-Goldberg solution?

It's propably easier on the ants, tho.

why webcam?

[vlm]

I'm mystified why it has to be a webcam, other than the joy of complexity.

I am personally involved in two "scenes" where other participants a couple decades grayer than myself need similar tech and both use plain ole cameras hooked up to TVs.

I can easily solder 0402 SMD by hand (I kid you not, and I've assembled working N5AC microwave oscillator kits to prove it.. the main vco inductor is a 0402 as are a bunch of the bypass caps. Also I know several model machinists (of the homemade steam engine variety) who use toolpost mounted microscopes to see little stuff, also some of them are pretty young, like the guys trying to machine a research medical adapter between a hypo needle and some medical research "thing".

Anyway the killer for hand/eye coordination is latency. A simple camcorder is fast enough, a webcam no freaking way. Also the "boot time" of a camcorder is faster than any PC, not to mention "application launch". No software updates, no viruses (other than the ones you're looking at under the microscope LOL).

I do know that one huge user of "webcam glued to gear" is medical examiners / pathologists because its easier to import CSI style evidence into a report edited on a computer if you use a webcam. Otherwise stay away from webcams !

Re:why webcam?

[Lumpy]

Mostly because people want to involve complexity. There are a LOT of optical only solutions that will work better than any webcam+PC+TV setup on this planet.

I suggest NOT helping grandma this way. get them something that does not need to be booted and will work without a virus scanner.

Re:why webcam?

[AntEater]

I'm mystified why it has to be a webcam, other than the joy of complexity.

It's more than just senseless complexity. Some visual impairments are helped significantly by having the ability to invert the colors, convert to grey scale, convert to straight up black and white, filter out certain colors, provide a reading "line" which can easily be done with software but not so easily with a basic camera - not that it is impossible. Today, a web camera and 20" flat panel monitor can be purchased for less than 10% of the cost of a commercial CCTV magnification system. I do agree that a typical web camera seriously lacks in quality.

Re:why webcam?

[jonadab]

> I'm mystified why it has to be a webcam, other than the joy of complexity.

It's an example of the X Y problem, documented thoroughly here:
http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=542341

Complexity has nothing to do with it. People see advertisements for uber-cheap webcams, know that webcams are designed to be hooked up to a computer, and think to themselves, "Maybe one of those things will solve my problem, and I'll only be out eight bucks!"

The question _should_ read, "Dad can't read anything less than a 36-point font, and his vision keeps getting worse, but he loves to read books. What's the cheapest way to solve my problem? Will a cheap webcam somehow solve this? Some other option?" But most folks don't have enough experience with tech support (or in some cases just plain don't think clearly enough) to know that they should word the question that way.

Re:Easy

[Anonymous Coward]

RTFQ much?

He asks a question about "In order to read paper-based books" and you babble about how easy it is to install a second video card into his book (a book which is also apparently running Windows)!

How bad is your vision?

[TWX]

My in-laws have severe macular degeneration to the point that they gave up driving, and my mother-in-law loves to read, and we ended up buying a technician's visor with four magnifier lenses for her, and she's able to read paperback books with it. They had looked up expensive devices (one of the biggest vision-assistance companies is in the greater Boston area and they even went to the showroom) but found that this fairly simple optical solution worked best.