myReader: an Auto-Reader for Low Vision Users

Until recently, video magnifiers – closed-circuit television systems allowing magnification and colour modification – were the most effective reading aid for the visually impaired. Humanware Ltd. has developed a practical portable consumer device, myReader, incorporating a high resolution digital image sensor and document analysis software capable of understanding complex Manhattan layouts. In addition to typical video magnifier functionality, myReader can capture and analyse a full page of text and present it to the user in a more convenient format: in a single tall column, in a single long line, or one word at a time. Users in a study comparing myReader with a conventional video magnifier achieved a moderate increase in reading speed and reported a substantial increase in physical comfort when using myReader.