The National Eye Institute (NEI) — part of the National Institutes of Health — is currently funding a number of developing technologies aimed at helping those who are blind or have low vision, including a co-robotic cane, robotic glove, and high-powered prisms and periscopes for those with severe tunnel vision.
The co-robotic cane, reportedly developed by Dr. Cang Ye at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is capable of providing feedback on a user's surrounding environment via a 3D camera that can "see" on behalf of the user. Ye also helped develop a robotic glove that can help someone with low vision easier finding a door knob or handle.
To help make crossing the street less dangerous for those with low vision, Dr. James Coughlan and colleagues at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute have developed a smartphone app that gives auditory prompts to help users identify the safest crossing location and stay within the crosswalk. Additionally, Coughlan is reportedly developing the CamIO system that allows a user to explore any 3D or 2D object through the use of auditory readouts.
And optometrist Dr. Eli Peli of Schepens Eye Research Institute is reportedly developing high-powered prisms and periscopes to help expand the visual field for those with several peripheral field vision loss, while still preserving their central vision.
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Source: National Eye Institute