DE&S pilot the use of AR glasses for its deaf and hearing loss staff community

News

Smart glasses that use augmented reality (AR) to project real-time conversations onto the lens are being trialled by government employees with hearing loss or difficulties.

Members of the Deaf and Impaired Hearing Network at DE&S attended a demonstration event to trial the glasses prior to the pilot
Members of the Deaf and Impaired Hearing Network at DE&S attended a demonstration event to trial the glasses prior to the pilot - DE&S/MOD

The technology allows users to engage directly in dialogue rather than relying on lip reading or a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter being available.

The three-month pilot is taking place at Ministry of Defence (MOD) Abbey Wood, the Bristol-based headquarters of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) – a specialist procurement arm of the MOD.

Initial feedback is that the £900-a-pair glasses, which can also be configured to translate conversations in over 90 different languages, could transform the working lives of employees in the deaf and hearing loss community.

If successful, the MOD said that the aim will be to roll out the availability of glasses across the organisation, and potentially other government departments, so staff with hearing loss have more options to meet their needs.

Under the £10,000 contract with US-based XRAI Glass, eight sets of glasses will be available to book as a priority by members of DE&S’ deaf and hearing loss community.

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