“Artificial Intelligence will make people’s life easier”. I have seen this phrase lots of times. And once again I am convinced that this is true.
Have you ever thought about how hard it is to be deaf? Having fewer job opportunities, social withdrawal, and emotional problems caused by a drop in self-esteem and confidence. And now imagine the possibility to READ speech in real-time by just wearing glasses. This is what augmented reality (AR)-powered smart glasses can allow. The XRAI Glass software converts speech into subtitles which appear on the user’s glasses screen. Moreover, it is tethered to the live-captioning app that translates over 9 languages, with more coming in the next few months. The translation takes place near-real time, allowing users to keep up with the conversation. All processing is done on the mobile phone so the glasses themselves are lightweight and comfortable to wear all day long. The glasses can be plugged even into a TV to display subtitles. In fact, one of the XRAI’s trial group, a lawyer, is using the glasses plugged directly into the mic system of the court.
HOW HAS THE IDEA EMERGED?
The XRAI Glass technology was inspired by one of the co-founders’ 97-year-old deaf grandfather: “If he’s enjoying subtitles while watching television, why can’t we subtitle his life?” This is how the history of XRAI Glass started.
PRICE
The live-captioning app is now free to download, but users will be asked to pay for premium features if desired (up to $49.99/month). The glasses separately cost $484 and can be purchased on EE or Amazon.
DRAWBACKS
The company is planning to reach 70,000 people by the end of 2023. However, some improvements should be made before these glasses are incorporated into daily usage. Some people state that glasses may struggle to understand group conversations where people are speaking over each other. Aside from this, a quiet environment is a prerequisite for accurate speech interpretation. That is why in July 2022 XRAI Glass launched a public trial period where people can try and share their experiences using smart glasses. The company aims to expand AI capabilities even more to provide the best service it can.
PERSONAL OPINION
What I like the most is that people will never know what are you looking at while talking with them. Those who are suffering from hearing loss will be able to feel equal to other people and will not now see themselves as “exceptional” or “unusual”. Moreover, these glasses are not a good solution just for deaf people, but also for those who are facing the problems of consuming information in an audial way. That means that they will be able to hear and read speech simultaneously wearing smart glasses.
I watched a couple of videos where deaf people are trying these glasses for the first time and was touched to see them broken down in tears by their hope for a better, easier life. I am happy that modern technologies are able to facilitate the daily life of people with hearing disabilities and even better solutions will come in the future as AI is progressing at unbelievable speed.
References:
https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/17/we-tried-the-smart-glasses-that-let-you-see-conversations-17764768/
https://www.hackread.com/ai-powered-smart-glasses-deaf-speech/
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/captioned-smart-glasses-let-deaf-people-see-rewind-conversations/
excellent I’m shocked that it took so long to make a product that is so helpful for people that actually need help in there day to day lives.
It is a beautiful example of human ingenuity! I think that this technology could be adapted to an even more widespread use, with the possibility of real-time translation. It would be the highest comfort to be able to travel anywhere and communicate easily with the locals.
Perhaps it would also be wise to implement government funding schemes for these glasses to aid those hard of hearing who cannot afford XRAI?
The technology is certainly unique, and it has the potential to dramatically enhance the quality of life for persons with hearing loss by increasing their access to communication and information. The blog also recognizes that the technology currently has certain limits and that the business is trying to expand its capabilities and handle any difficulties. Overall, the application of artificial intelligence in the construction of these smart glasses looks to be a beneficial development that will aid persons with hearing difficulties significantly.
This can be a huge opportunity for people that can’t hear to comunicate with others on daily basis. However I wonder if reading subtitles from your glasses is convinient enough to understand what you are reading. Also what if someone is speaking really fast, will the glasses be able to recognize all the words and trasfer them into subtitles?