Assistive AR Glasses for People with Vision Impairments

Augmented reality can enhance real-world environments, for people with vision impairments by, for example, enlarging fonts, increasing contrast, or amplifying colors. We explore an optical see-through, wearable augmented-reality prototype that offers a zoom feature and various input modalities for users with vision impairments. The participatory-designed prototype was tested and refined with individuals with low vision, and then evaluated in a preliminary study with eight users from the target audience. Our results indicate strong interest among young people and highlight the potential of augmented-reality devices as visual aids.