NEC eyeglasses offer retina language translation

by Stevie Smith - Nov 5 2009, 12:40

If you’re keen to see the world but perhaps lack the necessary confidence due to a shortfall in language skill, the ambitious and forward-looking boffins at NEC might just have the very thing to plug the gaping chasm in your international travel itinerary.

Offering a way to better understand a multitude of foreign lingos without having to self-consciously trawl through tatty phrase books, NEC has created the Tele Scouter, a set of computer-assisted eyeglasses that use imaging technology to project near real-time translations directly onto the wearer’s retina.

According to NEC, the retina text projections would essentially enable users to see virtual subtitles and would be reliant on accurate language processing via built-in voice recognition and translation software.

If successfully introduced to the mass market, the Tele Scouter could potentially allow two or more users to converse freely without ever having to deviate from their native languages.

“You can keep the conversation flowing,” NEC market development official Takayuki Omino told AFP during a recent technology expo in Tokyo.

“This could also be used for talk involving confidential information, negating the need for a human translator,” Omino added.

While still some way from being ready for market release, NEC believes its Tele Scouter eyeglasses (which do not carry lenses) are heading for a launch in 2011.

However, don’t expect to simply snap up a set of the imaging frames once the technology does finally arrive – not least because Tele Scouter bundles will likely be offered to suit the staff needs of (up to 30) professional users for a cost of around $8.2 million USD.

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