Allison interviews Elizabeth Evans, owner and CEO of Maggie Vision, about their lightweight, wearable headset designed for people with low vision. The Maggie iVR headset provides magnification and color contrast vision enhancement for the user.
To use Maggie iVR, the user slides their iPhone into the back of the headset. The iPhone’s basic camera functions are augmented with additional features from the headset working with the Maggie app. The user views the magnified/enhanced images through two eyepieces within the headset. All of the iPhone’s control buttons and the charging port are accessible while it’s plugged into the headset.
The Maggie iVR provides separate focusing for each eye with two focus wheels on the headset as well as an adjustment for pupillary distance. It provides a 100-degree field of view and up to a 20X magnification factor.
Maggie iVR requires no batteries and is lightweight, weighing only 1 lb. The Maggie iOS app is free to download and does not require a subscription service.
Learn more at https://www.maggie.vision/
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Transcript of Interview:
Allison: I’m with Elizabeth Evans at the Maggie Vision booth and I’m holding in my hand what looks like a VR headset. It’s actually pretty light but the odd thing is it appears to have an iPhone in it.
Elizabeth Evans: That’s correct. It is the only wearable out there that uses the iPhone 16 Pro. It is a wearable video magnifier for people with low vision. It goes up to 20 times magnification and it has a hundred degrees field of view.
Allison: So it looks like if it’s using the iPhone’s cameras how is it going to be – what was the magnification you said 20x?
Elizabeth Evans: 20x that’s correct.
Allison: So how is it doing that if it’s only 5x camera on the iPhone 16 Pro?
Elizabeth Evans: We have an app in there it’s a free app on the App Store that it has it utilize the cameras in there.
Allison: So there’s no extra magnification optical magnification added to the headset?
Elizabeth Evans: There is some optical magnification as well added to the headset.
Allison: Okay that makes more sense. So are you gonna have me put this on and you’re gonna you’re gonna drive the the microphone right?
Elizabeth Evans: That’s correct.
Allison: All right why don’t you describe what’s going on as I put it on.
Elizabeth Evans: I’m gonna have you put that on and then you’re gonna be able to use…
Allison: Should I take my glasses off?
Elizabeth Evans: Yes please. Okay and on your right hand side you’re gonna find this plus and minus magnification right up front. There you go and you can zoom in.
Allison: Okay I’m seeing the – we’ll launch the app. There we go. All right make sure you give the mic pass the microphone to me if I’m looking. I’m seeing red stuff. Oh holy cow I am really looking zoomed up. This is … okay I’m looking like your individual teeth, Steve.
Allison: All right this is disconcerting but definitely is 20x. If I hold still it’s it’s pretty amazing. So it looks like are these focus wheels on either side?
Elizabeth Evans: They are focus wheels for each individual eye and essential PD as well.
Allison: What does PD mean?
Elizabeth Evans: Pupillary distance so that they can get their pupillary distance for the eyes.
Allison: Okay so that’s in the top center here and then I see kind of a button lever thing is this to extract your phone out of the case?
Elizabeth Evans: That’s actually the lock button to put it to sleep and then on the bottom is the action button to be able to launch the app and then you can lock extract the phone out so that it’s the only one that allows you to use the phone as the actual phone. So it’s an unlocked iPhone so you can use the phone as your actual phone as well.
Allison: That’s fascinating. So is this is this out on the market yet?
Elizabeth Evans: It is on the market and we’ve been out since August.
Allison: And what’s the price point on this?
Elizabeth Evans: \$3,500 for the complete set or $2,500 for just the headset.
Allison: All right let’s see if Steve can stick … Can you look inside? Let’s see it’s hard to tell.
Steve: Yeah.
Allison: Wow he’s looking through the inside of it. This is really interesting. So you said $3,500?
Elizabeth Evans: Yes that’s correct.
Allison: All right and is there any kind of subscription service or that’s it?
Elizabeth Evans: That’s it.
Allison: All right where would people go to to find Maggie Vision?
Elizabeth Evans: It’s Maggie.vision.
Allison: Very good and who’s Maggie?
Elizabeth Evans: Maggie is from Magnifier. I’m Elizabeth.
Allison: There you go. All right thank you very much.
Elizabeth Evans: Thank you.