Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[MIT's portable 'seeing machine' for the blind enters testing]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/14/mits-portable-seeing-machine-for-the-blind-enters-testing/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/14/mits-portable-seeing-machine-for-the-blind-enters-testing/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/14/mits-portable-seeing-machine-for-the-blind-enters-testing/#commentsMIT develops portable 'seeing machine' for the blind
Many who are legally blind have functional retinas locked behind lenses so clouded they can't see a thing. Doctors can detect this type of ocular defect using a scanning laser opthalmoscope (or SLO), and can even focus an image onto those hidden retinas to allow the blind to see -- temporarily, since a cost of $100,000 and a rather non-portable design means SLO's are only suited for medical offices. We reported back in 2006 on the efforts of MIT's Elizabeth Goldring and colleagues to create a cheaper, portable version, and now a prototype is entering testing. It's comprised of a digital camera (looks like possibly a Lumix DMC-TZ50) mounted to an LED-backlit LCD that is able to focus to a point, penetrating lenses damaged by glaucoma or macular degeneration. No word on when this sort of thing might be generally available, but testing will take place at the Beetham Eye Institute in Boston, so head on over if you want to get some eyes-on time with one of these.

[Via tgdaily]

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MIT's portable 'seeing machine' for the blind enters testing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artificial sightArtificialSightdmc-tz50elizabeth goldringElizabethGoldringlumixmitscanning laser opthalmoscopeScanningLaserOpthalmoscopeseeing machineSeeingMachineslotz50Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TZ50 gets official in US: Picasa / T-Mobile HotSpot-friendly]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/16/panasonics-lumix-dmc-tz50-gets-official-in-us-picasa-t-mobil/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/16/panasonics-lumix-dmc-tz50-gets-official-in-us-picasa-t-mobil/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/16/panasonics-lumix-dmc-tz50-gets-official-in-us-picasa-t-mobil/#comments
Panny's Lumix DMC-TZ50 isn't brand new or anything -- after all, we first caught wind of this WiFi-equipped point-and-shoot late last month in Japan. Nevertheless, Panasonic is now announcing that said camera will be heading Stateside with 802.11b/g capabilities, access to T-Mobile HotSpot service and the ability to upload photos directly to Google's Picasa Web Albums -- exactly like we saw at CES. Specs wise, you'll find a 9.1-megapixel sensor, 10x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, 720p movie mode, SD expansion slot, video output, red-eye correction, optical image stabilization, the Venus Engine IV and a 3.0-inch LCD monitor to boot. Unfortunately, there's still no word on when (or if) this technology will filter out to more Panasonic models, but folks interested in this here camera can pick one up next month for $449.95.

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Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TZ50 gets official in US: Picasa / T-Mobile HotSpot-friendly originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DMC-TZ50googlehotspotlumixpanasonicpicasaT-MobileTZ50Wi-Fi LUMIX TZ50Wi-fiLumixTz50wifiWed, 16 Apr 2008 12:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Panasonic's DMC-TZ50: a TZ5 with WiFi and Picasa photo sharing, maybe]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/panasonics-dmc-tz50-a-tz5-with-wifi-and-picasa-photo-sharing/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/panasonics-dmc-tz50-a-tz5-with-wifi-and-picasa-photo-sharing/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/panasonics-dmc-tz50-a-tz5-with-wifi-and-picasa-photo-sharing/#comments
Take Panasonic's 9.1 megapixel TZ5 with 10x optical zoom and 3-inch LCD, slap in some 802.11b/g WiFi and what do you get? This, the Lumix DMC-TZ50. As with most WiFi cameras, the TZ50 can upload your pictures from any WiFi hotspot but is then locked into specific image sharing sites; in this case, Panny's own Lumix Club. There is hope for a more open model, however, when the TZ50 goes global. After all, the Panasonic / T-Mobile WiFi demo we saw at CES tied images to Google's Picasa. Ok, it's not Flickr but it's a start. Available May 16th in Japan for ¥49,800 or about $500.

[Via Impress]

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Panasonic's DMC-TZ50: a TZ5 with WiFi and Picasa photo sharing, maybe originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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