Chinese start-up develops AI glasses for the deaf

The Chinese cognitive intelligence company Xiao-i has announced its latest product, the Hearview, which allows deaf individuals to “see the sounds of the world.”

This is one of two products that allows the deaf or hard-of-hearing community to engage with the world around them.

The product aims to assist those with hearing impairments with speaking and listening by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The Hearview glasses supposedly “empower the deaf community by converting speech into text, enabling full participation in conversations and entertainment.”

“Hearview offers face-to-face communication by converting spoken words into text displayed on the lenses” while enhancing “entertainment experiences by transforming audio from live broadcasts and entertainment programs into text.”

Over 470 million people across the world suffer from hearing loss, and over nine million people are profoundly deaf, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, this community could face challenges like social isolation and communication issues.

Products that utilize emergent technologies, such as artificial intelligence, could break down these barriers, as we have witnessed recently in the healthcare industry.

Hearview claims to bridge the gap between communities, enabling social participation and encouraging independence for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

The company claims to enable communication through visualized conversations and entertainment experiences. The Hearview appears to analyze spoken language and translate it into text that is then projected on the glasses lenses.

Xiao-i claims that the product has safeguards in place, such as its sound analysis system that projects visual alerts and warnings onto the glasses if the person is in an unstable environment.