The viability of virtual reality (VR) in the real world has given rise to hefty debate, and is one of the big issues that developers and investors have to contend with. Still, we see innovations in this realm very often, and mobile giant Samsung is the latest company to try to develop practical uses to make the technology a part of everyday life.
Samsung’s latest venture in this regard is Relúmĭno, a project developed by Samsung’s C-Lab, which is a space where Samsung employees can develop new ideas separate from their core duties.
How it works
Relúmĭno is an app that uses Samsung’s Gear VR headset to bring a new level of clarity to real-world objects like books, artwork and TV by using the rear camera of a smartphone as the “eyes”. The app magnifies certain areas, adjusts colour brightness and contrast, and highlights images and outlines. This will aid people with various types of visual impairment, including macular degeneration, glaucoma, myopia and cataracts, among others.
Although first showcased at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last year, Relúmĭno was featured at CES 2018 earlier this year.
Said Jaiil Lee, Vice President and Head of Creativity and Innovation at Samsung, “Relúmĭno will be the life-changer for 240 million of the visually impaired people around the world, and we promise a firm and continuing support.”
At CES, the leader of the Relúmĭno project, Jeongchun Cho, also said that it will be around two years before the app is ready for the market, but the development of this technology, and the continuing development of VR that has uses other than gaming, spells innovation that we have not been seen before.