Wearable technologies for visually impaired people: introduction of the Horus device

Context and goal: The main purpose of moving aids for people affected by vision is to move safely and independently in the environment. Most of the activities that have been done so far to reduce the limitations of people with visual impairment have focused on mobility and orientation of these people in familiar and unfamiliar environments, and their reading/writing skills to achieve individual independence. White cane, guide dog and electronic movement tools are the most commonly used technologies for mobility of visually impaired, and Braille, text readers and magnifiers are used to reading and writing. But each of these has its own advantages and limitations. In this article, wearable technologies and especially the Horus device are described.

Horus system has merged functions such as independent orientation and mobility during game activities, knowing the status of friends in class and school, identifying text and reading, recognizing the face and identifying objects. This technology has the ability to orientation and detect obstacles in 3D that help secure movement of visually impaired person, and  also capacity to read the text and braille that can help visually impaired autonomy in learning and instruction activities.