Future technology to aid sight loss

Smart-spectacles that tell wearers what they’re looking at and a 'driverless' car that steers using a 360-degree sensor system were just two of the inventions launched at the two-day TechShare Europe event this week, organised by sight loss charity RNIB.

The goal of the event, held at the Glasgow Science Centre, was to emphasise the revolutionary potential of emerging new technologies.

Speakers from technology giants Apple, Samsung, Google and Microsoft all spoke on how they intended to enhance the accessibility of their products in future.

The OrCam MyEye, developed by Israeli-based OrCam, uses artificial intelligence built into a smart camera on a wearer’s glasses and can recognise text from newspapers, street signs, supermarkets and other sources, relaying it back to the user through a built-in earpiece. The system also includes facial recognition software.