Adaptive Technology Breakthrough: How AI-Powered Smart Glasses Give Women Visual Independence

In the realm of assistive technology, smart glasses have emerged as one of the most promising innovations for individuals who are blind, have low vision, or even just need corrective lenses...

Did you know that wearable devices are transforming millions of lives by providing access to visual information, fostering independence, and opening new possibilities for people living with visual impairments?

By leveraging artificial intelligence, computer vision, and audio feedback systems, smart glasses are game-changers for the more than 200 million people globally who are affected by conditions like macular degeneration or total blindness, allowing users to access visual information independently and navigate the world with greater confidence and ease.

Smart glasses are also a great example of “inclusive technology” where a product that wasn’t necessarily created for differing abilities, ends up having a disproportionately positive impact on one group. Meta’s smart glasses, for instance, have become particularly popular with consumers, but particularly popular with those facing visual impairments.

How Smart Glasses Work

Smart glasses are sophisticated wearable devices equipped with cameras, sensors, and audio feedback systems that capture visual information from one’s surroundings and convert this information into various accessible formats.

For instance, using technology such as computer vision and artificial intelligence, smart glasses can identify objects and text to provide real-time audio feedback to the wearer.

It’s the hands-free nature of these devices that makes them particularly liberating by allowing users to engage with their environment naturally. And for the visually impaired, the audio feedback can be critical to understanding a person’s surroundings — pointing out objects, text, and people nearby.

From restoring partial sight to offering real-time navigation, smart glasses can help people reclaim their independence and autonomy. Simple daily tasks like reading mail, identifying products in a store, navigating unfamiliar environments, or recognizing faces can now be radically altered for the good.

What to Buy Now?

While the landscape continues to change, smart glasses have been around for a few years and there are not only a number of great options, but the prices continue to fall as well.

Envision Glasses

Envision Glasses are AI-powered smart glasses that can turn everyday visual information into speech. The glasses come with a camera, speakers and can read text and environmental information, recognize faces, detect light and colors, and allow users to share that information with others as well.

And because Envision Glasses are particularly good at text recognition the impact on even the most seemingly mundane details that the full sighted often take for granted can be profound, such as identifying which packet of sauce is the right one based on the packet’s text.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

In September 2023, Meta unveiled its second generation of smart glasses with Ray-Ban. The glasses have enhanced audio and cameras, a light design, and include an ultra-wide 12 megapixel camera and immersive audio recording capabilities.

The newest version integrate AI assistants and cost around $300 making them far more accessible to a wider audience than previously. They also can integrate accessibility apps such as Be My Eyes which connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers through live video. With the glasses volunteers can see exactly what’s in front of the caller, and then help them with a task.

And There is More…

ARIA Research

Companies are also now developing smart glasses that help blind users navigate by spatial sound as well. ARIA Research, for instance, is building lightweight computers that fit into glasses and use AI to understand where users are in space and how they can best maneuver around. The computer in the classes can translate visual information into audio and emit sounds to help users locate objects.

Microsoft Seeing AI

Microsoft's Seeing AI also has launched an AI for Accessibility program with a $25 million commitment to support startups, developers, researchers, and non-profits in driving innovation for people with disabilities.

As a research program, the initiative is focused on opportunities to help the visually impaired. More of the story here:

Soliddd

Finally, Soliddd recently introduced its groundbreaking smart glasses specifically for individuals with macular degeneration. These glasses employ a unique vision correction technology that enhances central vision clarity through advanced lenses that adjust to improve vision in real time.

The integration of GPT language models can also help users do things like scan documents and ask the glasses questions about the content, providing an even more interactive and personalized experience.

What’s Next?

The future of smart glasses for the visually impaired continues to advance, with many opportunities to perfect and expand the technology in the works. These include:

• Further artificial Intelligence integration. Future devices are expected to leverage AI to provide more intuitive assistance, such as predicting user needs and offering proactive support. Additionally, improved aesthetics are making smart glasses more stylish and indistinguishable from regular eyewear, reducing stigma and increasing user acceptance.

• Enhanced GPS navigation accompanying audio cues. Better GPS capability can facilitate self-navigation. This is particularly important as research from the UK shows that nearly 40% of blind and partially sighted individuals are not currently able to complete all of the journeys that they need or want to make.

• Stronger Bluetooth beacons can also enhance autonomy. While basic GPS technology can take users to a location, beacons mounted in a store, restaurant, or public building can guide them to the entrance and then to specific facilities inside.

• Finally, affordability will also be a critical factor to more widespread smart glasses adoption. Research also in the same UK study found a worryingly low employment rate of 26% for blind individuals. So making assistive technologies more affordable can also serve to bring more back to work and economically empowered.

Last Thought: Data Privacy

As technology continues to advance, we can expect even more sophisticated features and more affordable options to emerge, further bridging the gap between visual impairment and full participation in daily activities.

There is no overstating the impact of the technology on the visually impaired. At the same time the development of AI tools, and smart glasses in particular, can pose a challenge to user privacy. The data secured, including location information, can make any of us vulnerable. We need to be sure we are comfortable with privacy settings and hold companies accountable for high standards of privacy, and for transparency in their policies.

A dependency on innovation can make some users particularly vulnerable, but together we can ensure that access to great innovation does not come at the price of safety and security.

In the end, the future is bright for those benefitting from smart glasses and that is something we should all celebrate.