NEC makes retina-display translation specs

NEC makes retina-display translation specs
The Yomiuri Shimbun

Oct. 25, 2009

NEC Corp. has developed eyeglass equipment that interprets foreign languages into mother tongues and projects the translation onto a person's retina, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

This kind of device would make it possible to speak with a foreigner naturally in one's mother tongue without an interpreter, according to sources.

If the accuracy of translation improves, it is expected to be used in various fields and situations, such as international conferences and business negotiations with foreign companies.

The equipment comprises a script projector and microphone attached to the glasses, and a small computer that can be attached to the waist of a user. When two people with different mother tongues speak in their own languages, the projector displays expressions from both languages.

NEC's application of a technology to project images by casting light directly onto the retina is a world first.

The retina transforms the optical information into a nerve signal, which is sent to the center of the brain via optic nerves.

The sources said that people can use the equipment for hours without getting eye strain as it is not necessary to focus on the script display. Because the script appears on the peripherals of a person's vision, the technology enables people to look at each other while they speak.

NEC plans to put the product on the market in 2010, the sources said. But as the accuracy of translation is not yet up to scratch, the company likely will not sell the system as translation equipment at first, but as a display device for employees in shops and factories.

By displaying information such as work procedures and charts, it would be a time-saver for workers as they would not have to stop their work to read manuals. It is expected to improve their efficiency and help prevent them from making mistakes.

Possible future applications include car navigation systems and video games. It also would enable police to distinguish whether license plates that come into sight are stolen by using a small camera attached to the glasses, the sources said.