Samsung Electronics' 'Relumino' Enables Visually Impaired to Recognize Human Faces

Distribution of Over 30 Devices for 'Low Vision Disabled' with Residual Sight
Actor and Director Song Seung-hwan, a Participant, Says "I Can Feel the Co-actor's Expressions"

Samsung Electronics announced on the 6th that it has provided about 30 units of the low-vision assistive wearable device 'Relumino' free of charge for pilot distribution to the Gyeonggi-do Welfare Center for the Visually Impaired and actor-director Song Seung-hwan. Low-vision visually impaired individuals refer to those who have residual vision.

Relumino works by installing an application on a smartphone and connecting it via a wired USB cable to the glasses (device). Low-vision visually impaired people make up about 90% of all visually impaired individuals. They can faintly distinguish the shapes of people and objects. Therefore, the product name is derived from a Latin word meaning 'to return light.'

Director Song Seung-hwan said, "I am satisfied because I can properly see people and objects that were only vaguely visible," adding, "I can feel the actor's expressions." Jeong Ok-dong, the director of the welfare center, said, "The most impressive moment was when visually impaired people wore Relumino and clearly saw the letters."

A scene of experiencing the visual aid solution 'Relumino,' which Samsung Electronics provided free of charge on the 28th of last month to the Gyeonggi-do Welfare Center for the Visually Impaired. [Photo by Samsung Electronics]

First, the glasses' camera recognizes images. The Relumino app processes the video by emphasizing outlines, zooming in and out, inverting colors, and adjusting contrast. This video processing increases object recognition rates for low-vision disabled users. The app incorporates a 'tactile sense' UX (user experience) designed to allow easy operation without looking at the screen. It also allows individual customized settings according to the type of visual impairment.

Samsung Electronics explained that it collaborated with Samsung Medical Center to conduct clinical trials of Relumino to verify user safety. Through evaluations by visually impaired users, it confirmed that the device outperforms existing commercial products in terms of performance, fatigue, and usability.

Example images before and after wearing Relumino. [Photo by Samsung Electronics]

Relumino was selected as a project under Samsung Electronics' in-house venture incubation program 'C-Lab' in 2016. Researcher Jo Jeong-hoon, who started the project, said, "I began the research after seeing survey results that 92% of visually impaired people ranked watching TV as their top leisure activity but found it difficult to watch." The following year, Samsung Electronics developed the Relumino app using Gear VR (virtual reality). In 2018, the first concept device in the form of glasses was developed.

Samsung Research, Samsung Electronics' advanced R&D organization, is conducting safety, usability, glasses radio certification, clinical trials, software verification, reliability testing, and user evaluations. Samsung Electronics plans to develop smaller and lighter Relumino glasses and research additional features. It aims to improve the quality of life for socially vulnerable groups and find ways to expand support measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.