SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 24, 2013 – Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL, www.freescale ) today announced support for a compelling new application from Israeli startup OrCam that helps visually impaired people more easily interact with the world around them.
The OrCam solution is an ultra-small, eyewear-mounted device that interprets visual input and conveys its meaning in real time to the wearer using sophisticated computer vision algorithms running on Freescale’s energy-efficient, high-performance i.MX 6Quad applications processor.

Freescale’s i.MX 6-Quad processor provides the processing power needed to run cutting-edge computer vision algorithms in OrCam products. Additionally, the integrated camera interface eliminates the need for additional components, reducing the size of the final product, and the advanced power management features provide excellent power efficiency and long battery life.

“The i.MX 6-Quad processor delivers exceptional performance within the power envelope needed for an economical, easy-to-use solution that can be worn by people whose vision impairment prevents them from easily interacting with the world around them,” said Amnon Shashua, co-founder of OrCam and professor of computer science at the Hebrew University. “OrCam is designed to leverage Freescale’s cutting-edge i.MX 6-Quad devices to enable visually impaired people to compensate for their lost vision, dramatically improving their quality of life.”

The OrCam product consists of a small device that attaches to the wearer’s glasses and contains a small camera, microphone, and bone conduction headphones. Designed with an easy-to-use user interface, the device interprets and reads the content as the wearer points at objects or writes with their fingers.

The i.MX 6-Quad processor integrates four ARM® Cortex™-A9 cores running at 1.2GHz, providing the processing horsepower to handle the massive amounts of data captured by the Orcam’s vision sensor. This performance allows it to run all of the processing algorithms and software speech codecs on a single chip. The i.MX 6-Quad processor powers the computer vision algorithms that enable the OrCam to recognize a wide range of inputs, including a friend’s face walking into a room, words in newspapers and books, and all kinds of everyday objects, including crosswalk signs and traffic signals.

“Successful designs like this one underscore Freescale’s position as a leading provider of embedded intelligence solutions in the fast-growing wearables and intelligent healthcare markets,” said Shmuel Barkan, co-general manager, sales and marketing, Freescale Israel. “Our i.MX 6Quad applications processors are fueling the growth of new application categories, in this case providing the processing power needed to power a novel and highly engaging product that will transform the lives of people with visual impairments.”