Product offered for sight impaired

December 2008
 

A revolutionary new product may provide a way for the blind and those with other visual impairments to recognize their surroundings. The Forehead Sensory Recognition System (FSRS), which is produced by EyePlusPlus, Inc., converts digitally processed visual images  to electrical stimuli for tactile sensation.

Much like Braille involves using the fingertips to recognize certain characters to mean certain letters, FSRS uses the forehead as a substitute retina. The device was originally invented by Japanese entrepreneur Yonezo Kanno in 1998.

In September 2003, he merged his initial design with technology from the University of Tokyo to create FSRS. Kanno, who worked with IBM Japan for 21 years, then formed EyePlusPlus, Inc. With the help of Harlan Jacobs, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, the North American and European headquarters was established in Minneapolis. The device uses a small video camera mounted onto a pair of sunglasses. The camera captures what it sees and sends the information to a compact computer the user wears on a belt. The computer then sends an outline to a series of 512 electrodes that are arranged on a band strapped to the head.  The outline is converted to tactile sensations that are felt on the forehead and, with proper training, the sensations are recognized as images. No surgery is required. The device is currently being marketed in countries with socialized medicine. Jacobs and Kanno are also working with Dr. Yoni Peres, a veterinarian who works with the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind and the son of Israeli president Shimon Peres, to introduce the product to visually impaired individuals in Israel who may not be able to care for a guide dog. They are waiting for proper approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Note: Mr. Harlan Jacobs is also a member of SACC Minnesota.