Sony's retinal projection camera kit projects images directly onto a person's retina.
Back in mid-March, Sony Electronics issued a press release in which the Japanese company announced a retinal projection camera kit. According to the announcement, the awkwardly-named DSC-HX99RNV is designed to “[help] people with visual impairments see [in order] to capture the world around them.” The product combines a viewfinder with so-called “laser retinal projection technology” from QD Laser in an effort to offer people with low vision “focus-free retinal projection.”
“We continue to leverage creativity and technology to enhance the accessibility of our products, services and experiences. The Retina Projection Camera kit is a step in our commitment to a future that empowers all types of creators,” Yang Cheng, Sony Electronics’ vice president of imaging solutions, said in a statement included in the company’s press release. “Sony welcomes the opportunity to use our digital imaging technology in this new and innovative way.”
Sony first showed the camera kit in March at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. It was available for attendees to get their hands on and try, an experience Sony is looking to replicate at future events.
The camera kit is based on Sony’s DSC-HX99 body. The way it works is the camera takes a digital image, but that image is then displayed directly onto a person’s retina. The idea is the technology allows for more accessible, sharper viewing of things such as landscapes, signs, people’s faces, and more. The product builds on QD Laser’s “With My Eyes” project, an initiative begun in 2020 with the goal of helping people with low vision more easily experience the world around them. The company has many partners in realizing this goal, including Sony. Sony has been involved with the retinal projection project for over a year.
“Sony’s purpose is to ‘fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology.’ We value inclusive design for products and services that embraces diverse users and incorporates various feedback,” said El-Deane Naude, senior product information manager for imaging solutions at Sony Electronics, in an interview with me last month. “Sony aims to support the creative motivation of all creators and deeply supports this project, which expands opportunities for people demonstrate their creativity by utilizing imaging technology. We strive for a future where everyone shares the moment, overcoming the limitations of age, physical conditions and environment by applying our technology to incorporate accessibility into our products and services.”
Naude told me the camera kit represents the company’s “commitment to a future that empowers all types of creators.” He said Sony has an ethos of building innovative products that “expand” people’s capabilities, adding the kit reflects that institutional ideal. “Through our commitment to an inclusive future, we aim to create a world where everyone belongs,” he said of Sony’s ethos. “We strive to enable and empower individuals of all abilities to share kando [the Japanese word for excitement].”
Naude shared his own excitement for building tech that empowers.
“I was very excited that Sony has prioritized a focus on accessibility for its products. I have so much pride getting to share that this product allows users to capture the world in their hands due to the high-magnification zoom that allows users to enhance their photography abilities,” he said of working on the retinal projection project. “Although the [camera kit] does not assist everyone, for those it has helped, they have had very genuine and emotional response.”
