Breakthrough device gives visually impaired a way to read

Powered by Freescale's i.MX 6Quad applications processor, the OrCam solution employs sophisticated computer vision algorithms to interpret visual inputs and communicate their meaning in real time to the person wearing the device. The wearer simply points at an object or text with his or her finger, and the device interprets and reads it via an integrated camera, microphone and headphone. The i.MX 6Quad processor integrates four ARM Cortex-A9 cores running up to 1.2GHz, which enable it to handle the massive amounts of data captured by the OrCam's visual sensor. Freescale says this performance also allows execution of all processing algorithms and software speech codecs on a single chip, enabling OrCam to recognise everything from the faces of friends who walk into a room, to text in newspaper and books. "This design win underscores Freescale's role as a premier provider of embedded intelligence for the fast growing wearables and intelligent healthcare markets," said Freescale's Shmuel Barkan. "The i.MX is fuelling new categories of applications and, in this instance, is providing the processing power for a compelling product that is transforming the lives of people with visual impairments."