OrCam named as CES 2021 Innovation Awards Best of Innovation Honoree
The device helps those with reading disabilities more easily understand text.
By CELIA JEANUpdated: DECEMBER 18, 2020 09:35OrCam named as CES 2021 Innovation Awards Best of Innovation Honoree(photo credit: ORCAM)
OrCam Technologies, a Jerusalem-based start-up that develops advanced technology to help the visually impaired, was named a CES 2021 Innovation Awards Best of Innovation Honoree this week.The annuals CES Innovation Awards competition, owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, honors outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across 28 categories. OrCam was selected to receive the award out of 19 products submitted in the Accessibility category for its AI-driven, first-of-its-kind handheld OrCam Read digital reader.The announcement comes just weeks ahead of the world's most influential technology event: the first ever, all digital CES 2021 taking place in January.OrCam received the award for its OrCam Read, a handheld device that helps readers with dyslexia, mild to moderate vision loss, reading fatigue, as well as for those who read large volumes of text. Submissions were reviewed by an elite panel of industry expert judges, based on innovation, engineering and functionality, aesthetic and design.The small device has the ability to either read aloud either paragraphs or full pages of text from digital surfaces such as tablets or phones, or printed surfaces such as books or newspapers. It does not require internet connection, making it usable anywhere anytime.The technology is easy to use and allows for readers to speed up or slow down audio playback. It can either read aloud, or be connected to audio devices via Bluetooth or is audio input jack such as headphones. The amount of text read aloud by the device can be chosen by easily changing the laser focus, which has two settings for smaller or larger texts.OrCam Read also incorporates the new interactive "Smart Reading" feature, combining OrCam's advanced computer vision and natural language understanding (NLU) technologies to operate as a "voice-activated assistant" that makes any text even more accessible to the reader by using voice activation which activates internal algorithms.The device originated from OrCam's MyEye2, a similar device which seamlessly attaches to a user's eye glasses using a magnetic connector. The product, available in some 25 languages improves social situations by letting the user know who is located in front of them.AdvertisementFor the MyEye device, OrCam recently became the first Israeli company to win Germany's annual NRW.INVEST AWARD, awarded to four exemplary companies that contribute to the local economy, strengthen innovation impetus and bring new products, services and processes to Germany.This is the second year in a row that OrCam was recognized at the CES awards program. Having also captured the Best of Innovation award in 2020, the tech company was recognized for it OrCam Hear wearable device for hearing loss.Furthermore, the company’s flagship OrCam MyEye wearable device for people who are blind or visually impaired won the prestigious Last Gadget Standing competition top prize at CES 2018.
