Intel Capital is investing $15-20 million in artificial vision company OrCam Technologies Ltd. The company develops a range of visual improvement products for the visually impaired including a system enabling them to read content and interpret the world around them. The system is so far only able to read English texts such as menus and newspapers.
OrCam's product resembles Google Glass and comprises a camera connected to a small mobile computer that can be placed in the user's pocket. The company's site says the glasses cost $2,500.
Based in Jerusalem, OrCam was founded in 2010 by Prof. Amnon Shashua, best known as founder and CTO of collision avoidance technology company Mobileye.
Intel's focus on visual identification is not only reflected in acquisitions and investments. Intel Israel president Mooly Eden is responsible at Intel for perceptual computing and is developing technologies around the human-machine interface and gesture recognition. In the past two years, Intel acquired Israeli companies Invision Biometrics, which developed a processor that can recognize human movement, interpret it and adapt it to digital space, and Omek Interactive, which developed gesture recognition and tracking technology software.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 27, 2014
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