Fundraising has begun for what developers say will be the world’s first free “smart glasses” to help the blind and visually impaired.
It’s a high-tech marvel that doesn’t have to be seen to be believed.
They’re called Parsee glasses, and they’re under development in Poland.
A Polish non-profit wants to be the first in the world to make and give away free smart glasses.
Parsee developed a prototype of the battery-powered glasses with a 3D printed frame.
It uses an internet protocol camera and earphone to take pictures of objects, identify them and relay the information to the wearer.
It uses a mobile phone app to identify shapes, colors, text, as well as faces.
“Parsee is an innovative, 3D-printed glasses for blind and visually impaired people that helps them in their everyday living like reading newspapers, drinking some juice,” says Parsee project manager Bartosz Trzcinski.
Parsee began as a family project to help a relative.
The organization has begun fundraising using Indiegogo with a goal of $25,000.
The money will be used to complete research and development of a sleeker model of the glasses.
“Parsee wants to give those glasses for free because our main goal is to help people, and by inventing Parsee we would like to make small step for a bigger change in disabled people’s life,” says Barbara Lapa, Parsee’s crowdfunding manager.
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.
