In cooperation with the company «Eyedoo», the Riga Technical University (RTU) Science and Innovation Centre's Innovative Product Development Department has developed an innovative vision training device.
«Eyedoo» has developed an idea for a unique vision training device to improve the eye's ability to accommodate. The device is head-mounted and consists of a lens-filter module, an electronics control module and a head mount. It will work with a specifically designed and customised algorithm according to a vision training methodology developed by scientists at the University of Latvia (UL), and will use a cloud-based IT platform to support its operation. The company wanted to develop a prototype of the device by participating in the Latvian Investment and Development Agency's «PROTOTECH» programme.
«The customer came to us with the idea that they needed a device that would change the optical lenses in front of the eye in different strengths,» says Jānis Lapsa, an industrial designer at the RTU Science and Innovation Centre's Innovative Product Development Department. The device connects to the appropriate software and requires a person to perform different tasks, and depending on what the person sees on the computer screen, the device changes the lenses from plus to minus and vice versa. «Our task was to mechanically make the lenses change automatically - one strength, the other strength or neutral,» says J. Lapsa. The biggest challenge was to make all the mechanics work ergonomically, to make the device fit different head sizes, to make the pupil spacing adjustable. The motors, the control board and other delicate components also had to be squeezed into a small space.
According to «Eyedoo», such vision training has so far been done manually and the results depend heavily on the patient's manual dexterity and understanding of how to perform such training or on the involvement of a vision specialist, which in turn increases the cost and accessibility of the service. The new device is designed to provide vision training for different age groups. The highest effectiveness of vision training is achieved for children up to 18 years of age and for adults up to 30 years of age. The most important benefits of using the vision training tool will be restoring binocular vision balance; preventing eye fatigue (the most typical causes being prolonged and uncontrolled use of smart devices and computers); improving visual focusing abilities; preventing and strengthening certain visual impairments.
«PROTOTECH» is a prototyping programme created by the Technology Business Centre of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, which provides support to natural and legal persons in the design and development of prototypes of science-intensive technology products or services in cooperation with leading Latvian universities - RTU, University of Latvia and Riga Stradiņš University. The project is implemented under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 Programme «Entrepreneurship Development, Innovation and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises». The development of this prototype has received support of EUR 15 000. The project was supported with EUR 15 million.
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