Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is technology that converts images of text into machine-readable text. Ray Kurzweil’s pioneering work in the 1970s created the first omni-font OCR system and the first reading machine for the blind.
Kurzweil’s Breakthrough
In 1974, Ray Kurzweil founded Kurzweil Computer Products and developed the first OCR software that could recognize text in any normal font. Previous systems required specific fonts or training on each document.
The Reading Machine
Kurzweil combined OCR with text-to-speech synthesis to create the Kurzweil Reading Machine (1976)—the first device that could read printed text aloud to blind users. Stevie Wonder was an early purchaser and friend.
How OCR Works
Modern OCR involves:
- Image preprocessing (deskewing, noise removal)
- Character segmentation
- Feature extraction
- Pattern recognition (neural networks today)
- Post-processing (spell checking, context)
Applications
OCR enables:
- Accessibility: Reading machines for the visually impaired
- Document digitization: Converting paper archives
- Data entry: Automating form processing
- Translation: Real-time text recognition
- Search: Making scanned documents searchable
Modern Evolution
OCR has evolved through:
- Statistical pattern matching (1980s–1990s)
- Neural networks (2000s)
- Deep learning (2010s–present)
- Cloud services (Google Vision, AWS Textract)
Today’s OCR achieves near-human accuracy on clean documents.