Smart Glasses for hearing impaired/deaf

#1

Well from what I’m reading we’re about two years off from seeing “new smart glasses” hit the market for public purchase. Normally I might be a little skeptical regarding future smart glasses but with Apple and Google going head to head to bring out new products, I’m actually looking forward to 2025 to see what comes out. Google just announced its brand-new prototype AR glasses in May 2022. Called glass 2.0 comes it will come with Google translate built-in, promising to translate languages in real-time. Apple can’t be far behind in their effort to develop smart glasses.

It seems upcoming smart glasses will look just like regular glasses. Also glass lens will be clear and be prescription made for vision correction. I’m not sure if smart glasses have to be connected to iPhone, smart phone (what ever) to process and display verbal communication. I’m also not clear by what some have reported as “text display” communication versus normal communication. Hopefully smart glasses can capture and display normal conversation within a certain radius of the user. It will be tricky to see how it works with several people talking all at once or with background noise. Also I’m assuming smart glasses will have to be battery charged just like hearing aids - so if lucky maybe users get 8 to 10 hours of continued use before recharging.

Maybe there are posters on HT who know more about the future of smart phones. But if Google thinks a smart phone will be able to translate languages, then surely a smart phone can visually display basic English being spoken within a certain radius of the user/wearer.

What I find really interesting and not sure if Apple or Google have looked into this, but if smart phones turn out to help the hearing impaired/deaf communicate better, why wouldn’t Medicare get involved and cover the total cost, or a portion of the cost. There are special closed caption telephones (CapTel) that are free to the hearing impaired/deaf and certainly smart phones with visual text display would benefit a larger majority of Americans than say more expensive cochlear implants.

Guess we just sit back and wait another 18 to 24 months and see what Google, Apple and other tech companies come out with. 2025 smart phone could be a “home run” or as Google glass found out ten years ago a “dud”. I’m putting my money on a Home Run.

https://www.verdict.co.uk/google-testing-augmented-reality-glasses-after-failure-of-google-glass/#:~:text=The%20company%20announced%20its%20brand,translate%20languages%20in%20real-time.

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#2

From what I understand, the connection to your phone is required for configuration of the glasses. The translations would come from language packs that are updated depending on the timelines each service has to do so.

As for hearing loss, these would more or less be bone conduction, unless a hearing aid manufacturer decided to do the crazy thing and partner with Google/Apple to integrate BTE’s or RIC’s into the lens frames somehow.

Reminds me of a news article a friend shared where it was the 70’s, and the headline read “eventually we’ll be able to fit these phones in our pockets in the future!” Never know what the future brings, but we shall see.

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#3

As people age, many of us need vision correction in addition to hearing correction.

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#4

I am someone that have tried those things and they effect me the same as a 3D movie, I get dizzy and disoriented. I have always been that way. I also totally dislike video games.

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#5

For entertainment I have a Nintendo 3DA I always have the 3D disabled when using it.

#6

Not sure you read my first post link but upcoming smart glasses are not a hearing aid nor tie in with bone conduction. Smart glasses display verbal communication on eye glass lens for the user to read. Future smart glasses work on their own, with probable assistance from smart phones. Hearing aids and bone conductivity a completely different animal with no interface with future smart phones.

You got Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, etc., all investing HUGE amounts of resources (cash.manpower) to be first out with new AR ( Augmented Reality) smart phones. Its coming sooner than you think and could be a game changer for many.

#7

There are a lot of problem with this as we looked into this in our R&D environment… it is a lot cumbersome than a device that sits n your ear. Power requirement is also enormous, Tech is in it infancy stage, nowhere near close. The tech giants aren’t putting any more resources onto it it lately as they diverted resources from their AR projects to something a little more profitable… Meta is trying but they are losing billions into this. Not profitable business… Apple on the other hands may show us the path forward as I am very skeptical they will show something that doesn’t over heat and sucks a lot of power…

#8

Cumberson - Really. Spec I’ve seen make smart glasses look like normal glasses. Which is what the buying public wants.

Power requirements - it will get worked out. Just like EV batteries, just smaller.

Tech giants are in “big time” and its more then just vertical reality. Google learned from Google Glass failure and they wouldn’t be spending big time to re-enter smart phone game to lose money again. First to market will reap huge profits bringing smart glasses to the masses. And if you don’t believe me read the following. It’s coming very, very soon and would make Steve Jobs proud.

#9

Good luck trying to find a glasses that last all day without separate battery pack

Wishful thinking, but impractical in real life… you going to face the same resistant from people that don’t want to wear hearing aid because of how big it is, even if they get smaller. it will only last 1 hour at best… … you need to understand the engineering complexity behind it…

Apple put a lot of resources into making the devices thin as possible and they couldn’t because of heat/battery issues.

lower your expectation so you don’t get disappointed

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#10

You know your really clueless on this subject. Smart glasses or should we say glasses that print out text on lens display are already here. Guess your the one that’s disappointed things are moving so rapidly in the direction I’m supporting. See below

But where you really missing the forest for the trees is that Apple, Google, Microsoft, (like the three largest tech companies in the world) will soon be offering advanced smart glasses that not only assist the deaf/hearing impaired but also help translate foreign language into English and then display translation on glasses.

Have to laugh at your “heat” from battery claim. I’ve used 675 size batteries for years and there’s no heat emitted from them. They last me two weeks and I’m sure smart glasses will have smaller sized batteries (hidden in frames) that can easily be recharged on a day to day basis. I suggest you start researching this subject or “google” versus just throwing out random thoughts with no (link) support. Enough said.

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#11

Wow, arrogant much… OK…

I stand by my statement, sound like you have been reading too much PR from companies,

not possible with current technology. Don’t mean to be mean but you are purely BS. I worked on the tech before as a Software engineer… I wrote software for the hololens that deals with captioning. Have you worked on it?

You need a lot more battery power than a 675 battery to power the hardware and more power the more heat generated by those systems.

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#12

While interesting from a technical aspect I don’t think for everyday use I would want smart glasses instead of hearing aids.
The translation part could be useful if highly accurate, even if actually the same language but a strong accent.
For noisy / difficult situations again useful but in reality could the source be it built into the glasses or say a phone pick-up with few errors ?

#13

I work with multiple speech to text engine such as the like of google, amazon, ibm and Microsoft to name a few,. all of them are terrible with noise / far field microphone itself… you need to have a microphone attached to the speaker and quiet environment to get the best quality

#14

@ssa on the lighter side: I recently received a text from a friend who uses voice to text on a Pixel phone.
He dictated: “I am going to use one for a Linux System”
I received: “I am going to use14a Linuxsystem”

#15

I see the pattern ssa. No links, no support data, no deep thinking. I could care less if you worked as some tech before becoming a software engineer. Doesn’t mean a hill of beans since you’re pretty much just shooting from the hip. Seems as if your really against (or worried) that smart glasses might just be the “new” and up coming thing.

I think the one thing you need to recognize (if you can) is that company’s like Google, Msft, Apple, Meta, etc., are spending multi-millions on smart glass research and eventual production. We’re not talking chump change here. Wouldn’t be surprised if big tech players aren’t throwing 500 million to close to a billion dollars on smart glass development. Certainly looking at how many people have been hired over the last few years (thousands) by large tech companies to push smart glasses forward is impressive.

But you stick with your over heating issues and software issues. Like we can’t fly a man to the moon, much less mars someday.

#16

I’m saying you can wear HA’s and then have the benefit of smart glasses for additional support. People wear HA’s and read closed caption on TV. Yea, it might take getting used to like anything new coming out. But its coming. And I agree with others that the level of background noise (your in) will greatly impact the performance of smart glasses. Would I take then to a rock concert in a couple year. Nope. On the other hand they just might work perfect at church, small social gatherings, movies, back yard barbecues, etc.

#17

I am not against it, i know the limitation of the technology, you clearly don’t… I am against people thinking that the tech is there right now but it is 10-20 years from now… I have been a software engineer for almost 10 years now.

Stop attacking me and i am just trying to set realistic expectation of the technology there.

no that not how the world work. You can’t throw money at a problem and hope it fixes the issue.

Still a valid issue today

#18

“Called glass 2.0 … it will come with Google translate built-in, promising to translate languages in real-time.”

I think that would be pretty cool for travelers - if the mic issue could be overcome and actually deliver the real-time translation direct to a person’s ear. Less helpful would be if the person has to read the translation off a cell phone that’s connected to the glasses.

The fact that Big Tech is in on it gives me HOPE that hearing aids will enjoy a paradigm shift to something else - what that is, I can’t articulate. But it seems that since their inception, the basic concept of: put device in ear, turn power on, try to hear better - hasn’t changed all that much in decades.

#19

It’s coming and in a year or two their will be more than one option. Merry Christmas Saa.
The glasses have it in them to be quite “smart,” with Google Assistant surging behind it, powering its live translation capability.

#20

SAA - Thought yoiu would enjoy reading this new CES event. With Smart Glass now here one has to wonder if Medicare might get involved as far as picking up some or all of the cost. Obviously those who are deaf or severely hard of hearing will benefit from this “new” smart glasses at work, at home or where ever. Will Smart Glasses be life changing. I don’t know but I see them as a valuable tool in helping the deaf community and other become more independent and able to communicate better in most situations. One problem though as I understand it, is smart glasses with real time captioning will also caption what the wearer is saying, So hopefully in the future eye glass captioning will only be other people talking and not the person wearing the glasses.

Also have questions about how glasses work in crowds and with loud background noise. But rest assured more good things are coming down the pike for those who need smart glasses to improving hearing communication.