Another year is closing its doors and we are all eyes and ears on what’s next in the vision and hearing tech scenes. But before we plunge into 2020, let’s refresh our memories on the ingenious devices that have grabbed the limelight in 2019. Spotted in TIME Magazine’s list of winners and runners-up for “The 100 Best Inventions of 2019”, these are not the kind of hearing aids or eyeglasses you’re used to. Although they may look like your regular stuff, these products have future-ready AI capabilities and possess the power potentials to become your super-handyman with their multifunctional features. In other words, these products would simply blow your mind. Let’s take a look.
A Multitasking Hearing Aid
It’s like your conscience whispering to you all the time. But actually, it’s not. It is a hearing device that wears many hats and sounds like (pun intended) your full-time virtual assistant. Called the Livio AI, this Starkey hearing aid does not only amplify sound and tone down the noise around you, but it also streams music, answers your questions, translates languages and alerts your family when you fall down. Sounds cool, right?
An Eyewear With Its Own Mind
If you think the “E.D.I.T.H.” glasses are the only eyewear with the ability to think and talk, then think again. Because the MyEye 2 might be the PA you’ve been waiting for and it’s not even science fiction. Dubbed as the “talking glasses”, this artificial-intelligence device, developed by OrCam, can identify faces and currency. When attached to the frame of any glasses, it can also read for you any text and information — out loud. Just don’t ask it to launch a drone strike and all will be fine.
A Cane That Walks the Blind
For the 250 million visually impaired and blind people worldwide, navigating the digital world with ease is almost next to impossible. This is why Kursat Ceylan co-developed a smart cane, called WeWALK, that does not only detect any kind of above-chest obstacles but also helps visually-impaired and blind people use phone apps, such as Voice Assistant and Google Maps, without the need to take out their smartphones.
The Sunglasses That Hear It All
Have you ever dreamed of listening to music, podcasts and your audio alerts without the fuzz of bringing all your gadgets with you? Then dream no further because Bose Frames has arrived. A tiny audio system is housed inside each temple of the frames of these glasses and it produces sounds that only you, the wearer, could hear. Simply connect the glasses with your smartphone via Bluetooth and, voila, you can sit back all comfy while on your way to work.
The Glasses For All Seasons
We live in an era when the smartphone could almost do it all for you. But what if there’s a pair of smart glasses that could do the same? Focals by North uses holographic lasers to project your incoming text messages to which you can reply with emojis. This pair of glasses can also give road directions, provide weather forecasts and notify you of other stuff. Life has never been this comfy.
The Frames App to Try-on
Although the concept of the virtual fitting room is nothing new, Warby Parker is taking it up a notch with its virtual try-on tool app. It is a free augmented reality app that captures the user’s facial data points in real-time, allowing you to preview yourself in 3D while fitting the frames of your choice. So, you can browse from their collection of glasses to your heart’s content whether you’re in the cafe or, say, on a bathroom break.
