The domestic development helps participants with eye injury to see the world in detail — from the shades of food on the plate to the age of the trees in the park.
Russia has launched mass production of smart glasses with a built-in artificial intelligence system "Verona", designed for rapid rehabilitation and social adaptation of participants in a special military operation who have suffered severe eye injuries. The device scans the surrounding space, reads details in a matter of seconds, and describes objects, people, and obstacles in detail to the user in a voice. The device works for up to 16 hours on a single charge, has reliable protection against cyber threats and fraudsters, and completely replaces a guide dog and carers in terms of functionality. The details of the project, its social and medical value and technical nuances are described in the Izvestia material.
Three seconds to explore the world
The main element of the system is the domestic artificial intelligence "Verona". It takes only three seconds to study the image. During this time, the frame passes through the neural network, is processed by algorithms and transformed into an accurate voice description.
Photo: t.me/GlassesAI_Verona
Image Source: iz.ru
"Our artificial intelligence provides a surprisingly deep, accurate and colorful description of the world around us," Arman Avanesyan, CEO of Verona AI LLC, explained to Izvestia. — For example, if you point the device at a tree, the neural network will determine not just an abstract object, but will name a specific breed, the thickness of the trunk, and even its approximate age. During a test use at a dinner party, the neural network listed the dishes served, describing in detail the ingredients, appearance, and even suggested a possible taste of the dish.
The review segment is limited by the direction of the person's gaze, so as not to overload the user with unnecessary information. A built-in flash is provided for orientation at dusk and at night: the accuracy of recognizing silhouettes of objects and obstacles in the dark reaches 80%. The system easily reads printed text and recognizes people's characteristics. For privacy reasons, the database does not give out personal names, but describes in detail the appearance of the interlocutor — hair color, facial features, silhouette, and even facial expressions.
Management training takes three minutes, the battery lasts for 16 hours of operation, and charging takes one hour. According to the developers, foreign analogues are basic voice assistants. In contrast, Russian software is completely focused on the rehabilitation of people who have lost their eyesight, replacing several third-party programs and guides at once. A special emphasis is placed on cybersecurity: the system is protected from hacking and fraud.
Background and social vector
The idea to create a compact digital assistant originated from the developer's personal experience.
Arman Avanesyan is the creator of glasses with artificial intelligence
Image Source: Photo: t.me/GlassesAI_Verona
— I met a blind man. I started asking him about the everyday difficulties that I have to deal with every day, and what technologies could make life easier," the developer recalled. — Based on this conversation, an idea was born. Having experience in programming and IT projects, I started creating a concept in May, and a full-fledged assembly began in October. Six months later, the first working gadget was handed over to the user.
During the testing process, the team was advised by the blind themselves. Feedback from future users became the basis for finalizing the design and software: the engineering team changed more than four versions before achieving the final result.
The creators of the device emphasize that the commercial sale of glasses is excluded for ethical reasons. Ready-made kits are distributed to citizens free of charge through charities, government support funds, and regional rehabilitation programs. In particular, the government of the Rostov region has already handed over the first batches of smart devices to veterans of a special military operation.
Photo: t.me/GlassesAI_Verona
Image source: iz.ru
"Our moral principles do not allow us to sell products to people who urgently need them,— Arman Avanesyan emphasizes. — We cooperate with charitable organizations and specialized support funds that fully finance the production and transfer ready-made kits to veterans and the disabled.
Guide dog replacement and household autonomy
About 90% of all information about the outside world is received through the organs of vision, so its loss becomes a severe blow and requires long-term adaptation, especially for combat veterans returning to civilian life, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.
— The main advantage of such a device is socialization and the return of a person's domestic independence. In this sense, the gadget completely replaces the traditional guide dog or nurse," the expert believes. — Now, in order to perform basic tasks — for example, to navigate the street or find out what food is on a plate — the blind person needs outside help. The device gives him independence.
At the same time, Yuri Lyamin drew attention to the fact that neural network processing is carried out through cloud services, which is why the stability of the gadget depends directly on the quality of mobile Internet coverage.
Boundaries of possibilities and rehabilitation potential
The new smart glasses with artificial intelligence "Verona" are becoming an important step in the development of Russian rehabilitation medicine, according to the rehabilitologist Valery Vasiliev.
— The proposed technology is most effective for people who have lost their eyesight already at a conscious age, and not blind from birth, — he explained. — Artificial intelligence perfectly reads text and recognizes objects, but it is extremely difficult for a person who has been blind since birth to visualize what the device tells him about — he simply does not have ready-made visual images in his memory. For people who are blind, including combat participants with severe mine-explosion injuries, this solution will be an invaluable help. In an environment where full-fledged eye prosthetics remains a difficult prospect, it is precisely such smart technologies that solve the acute problem of adaptation.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev
Image source: iz.ru
This is a truly innovative know-how for the domestic civilian market. However, when using the device, it is important to consider its limitations. Unlike a guide dog, which is able to assess a dynamic danger (for example, an approaching car), artificial intelligence is not yet able to predict the development of a situation and may be inferior in reaction speed. Such devices require fine tuning and are unlikely to be suitable for use in potentially dangerous conditions. Nevertheless, the prospects for technology are huge: smart devices will become an essential element of modern rehabilitation medicine.
Julia Leonova
Maxim Vysochin
