Smart glasses allow deaf people to ‘see’ conversations with subtitles
A pair of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses will now allow deaf people to ‘see’ conversations in real time.
The XRAI Glass uses augmented reality to convert audio into captions that appear in front of the eyes of those who wear the glasses.
The ‘first of its kind’ smart glasses are tethered to a phone and aims to enable the deaf community to engage in everyday conversations.
The glasses have voice recognition that can even identify speech and the company hopes to develop the technology to translate languages. It is planning to reach 70,000 people by the end of 2023.
The company shared a video of a deaf woman trying the glasses for the first time and her delight at seeing the technology in action.
Diana, who uses sign language to communicate, is blown away by the text appearing on the glasses in front of her and says she is ‘honoured’.
‘We are so proud of the ability of this innovative technology to enrich the lives of people who are deaf and have hearing loss, so that they can maximize potential,’ said Dan Scarfe, XRAI Glass’s CEO.
‘Whether that means being able to have a conversation while continuing to make dinner or keeping a conversation going while walking with a friend,’
The British company has partnered with AI company, Nreal, to create consumer-ready AR glasses.
XRAI Glass has launched a public trial period where the company ‘will continuously listen and learn from its users, expanding the AI capabilities and intuitive properties of the software to provide the very best service’.
The XRAI Glass glasses will be available to purchase in the UK via EE for £399.99 or £10 then £35 per month for 11 months.