Trending...
- Fairmint Releases Whitepaper for Open Captable Protocol (OCP) to Advance On-Chain Equity Securities
- $1B Target by 2027 Amid eSIM, Global Roaming Expansion; $57.6M Q1 Revenue and Market Uplisting, Advancing Toward IQSTEL, Inc. (Stock Symbol: IQST)
- San Antonio Buyer Secures 2.375% Mortgage in 2025-Broker Reveals the Mistake Costing Buyers Thousands
BOSTON, Jan. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mirroring the broader social trend of increasing awareness around inclusivity, exhibitors at CES 2023 highlighted the capabilities of consumer electronics to deliver assistive technology. IDTechEx attended the event, held January 5 – 8 in Las Vegas, and report on this key trend across interviews with exhibitors over the four days.
Smart Glasses for the Visually and Hearing Impaired
Smart glasses proved very popular at CES 2023, with queues to try the latest augmented reality (AR) demonstration from Lumus, TCL, and others particularly long. Yet while attendees were mostly trying tech to watch movies on the go or translate Chinese in real-time, it is likely that the best early use-case for smart glasses is as a tool for the visually and hearing impaired.
The lenses in AR glasses typically incorporate optical technology, such as waveguides and micro-LEDs, to create a wearable visual display. At CES, many smart glasses also featured miniaturized cameras and speakers within the plastic arms. As such, many start-ups, including Xrai, XanderGlasses, and Seleste Audio, exhibited software that transforms AR glasses into tools for real-time text-to-speech or speech-to-text. These companies were in partnership with AR hardware platform providers, such as Vuzix. Together they are creating smart glasses which ultimately allow the hearing impaired to see conversations sub-titled in real-time or the visually impaired to hear an audio description of their surroundings.
Despite advancements, smart glasses products remain too large, expensive, or low-performance for the mass market in 2023. Yet last year, IDTechEx predicted that with sufficient utility, early-stage hardware could still generate value, and CES 2023 made it clear that the hearing and visually impaired are set to become early adopters. With the WHO estimating that over three billion people worldwide are living with hearing and visual impairments, the commercial potential of this application is difficult to ignore.
More on nvtip.com
Hearables for the Hearing and Physically Impaired
Aside from AR glasses, most of the wearable technology on display at CES this year was in-ear or hearable. While the earphone market is maturing, the ear as a location for assistive technology still has untapped potential to improve social inclusivity.
In the summer of 2022, the FDA approved the category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, removing the requirement for a medical exam or professional fitting. This is a driving factor for the high prevalence of companies demonstrating such hardware at CES. Consumers can now choose from a range of OTC devices, for example, entirely invisible buds from EARGO or larger blue-tooth-connected devices from HP and Nuheara. While this regulation change is currently limited to the US – this technology could go global, with Canada expected to be the most likely to follow.
Yet the ear is a good location for far more than just hearing aids, such as vital sign monitoring or neural signal measurements. In fact, Sonical and EarSwitch demonstrated to IDTechEx how a simple in-ear camera can be used to pick up both heart rate and eye movements as a wearable sensor. Eye-tracking is a crucial element of gaze-controlled keyboards, which help those with motor neurone disease, ALS, and cerebral palsy communicate. Given the ear was also shown to allow users to actively 'click' via muscle tensing, hearables could enable the physically impaired to have more seamless and immersive tools for brain-computer interfacing.
Assistive Technology for Gaming
Assistive technology at CES was not limited to wearables and digital health; there were also examples of solutions for more consumer-focused markets such as gaming.
Sony made headlines with the announcement of their new accessible controller for the PlayStation – the Leonardo project – with a customizable design that players can configure to meet their particular physical needs. This ranges from facilitating all gamers in playing comfortably to enabling them to play at all.
Gaming is an important tool for social interaction for many physically impaired users – and Sony's controller design was heavily informed by the charity SpecialEffect. The accessibility requirements of gamers are highly varied, and it is important OEMs continue to invest in inclusive solutions as the industry evolves.
More on nvtip.com
Going forward, IDTechEx anticipates the accessibility requirements of an evolving gaming industry will remain a high priority, with customizable hardware solutions also emerging for virtual reality and the metaverse. Indeed, some start-ups have already identified this need, such as VOY and their tunable lenses for myopic users.
Conclusions: Assistive Technology Should Make Users Happier
Improving the quality of life for the physically impaired was seen to motivate a variety of wearable, digital health, and gaming companies at CES 2023. Following the pandemic years, and amongst economic uncertainty, consumers are more likely to invest in technology with a clear utility as opposed to novelty gadgets. Assistive technology achieves this while also offering inclusion, hope, and happiness – making it more likely to achieve commercial success in the near term. For a more detailed analysis of many of the emerging technology markets featured in this article, see IDTechEx's dedicated reports and ten-year market forecasts for Wearable Technology, Wearable Sensors, and Augmented and Virtual Reality.
For the full portfolio of wearable technology research from IDTechEx, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/WT. Sample pages are available for all reports.
About IDTechEx
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.
Media Contact:
Lucy Rogers
Sales and Marketing Administrator
[email protected]
+44(0)1223 812300
Social Media Links:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/IDTechEx
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/IDTechEx
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IDTechExResearch
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg
SOURCE IDTechEx
Smart Glasses for the Visually and Hearing Impaired
Smart glasses proved very popular at CES 2023, with queues to try the latest augmented reality (AR) demonstration from Lumus, TCL, and others particularly long. Yet while attendees were mostly trying tech to watch movies on the go or translate Chinese in real-time, it is likely that the best early use-case for smart glasses is as a tool for the visually and hearing impaired.
The lenses in AR glasses typically incorporate optical technology, such as waveguides and micro-LEDs, to create a wearable visual display. At CES, many smart glasses also featured miniaturized cameras and speakers within the plastic arms. As such, many start-ups, including Xrai, XanderGlasses, and Seleste Audio, exhibited software that transforms AR glasses into tools for real-time text-to-speech or speech-to-text. These companies were in partnership with AR hardware platform providers, such as Vuzix. Together they are creating smart glasses which ultimately allow the hearing impaired to see conversations sub-titled in real-time or the visually impaired to hear an audio description of their surroundings.
Despite advancements, smart glasses products remain too large, expensive, or low-performance for the mass market in 2023. Yet last year, IDTechEx predicted that with sufficient utility, early-stage hardware could still generate value, and CES 2023 made it clear that the hearing and visually impaired are set to become early adopters. With the WHO estimating that over three billion people worldwide are living with hearing and visual impairments, the commercial potential of this application is difficult to ignore.
More on nvtip.com
- Use Dogecoin (DOGE) to mine Bitcoin (BTC) and earn passive income at home
- European Tech Startup RoarFun discovers a gap in the U.S. market with a branded racing simulator rental at Atlanta's MRO Americas Aviation Convention
- Degrees of Justice: Attorney Frank Walker Charts the Future of Criminal Justice with Ph.D Degree
- The Jesse Roldan Team and Biz Hub Financial Successfully Facilitate One-Day Closing for Investor Deal in Hellertown, PA
- How Does Google Crawl Websites?
Hearables for the Hearing and Physically Impaired
Aside from AR glasses, most of the wearable technology on display at CES this year was in-ear or hearable. While the earphone market is maturing, the ear as a location for assistive technology still has untapped potential to improve social inclusivity.
In the summer of 2022, the FDA approved the category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, removing the requirement for a medical exam or professional fitting. This is a driving factor for the high prevalence of companies demonstrating such hardware at CES. Consumers can now choose from a range of OTC devices, for example, entirely invisible buds from EARGO or larger blue-tooth-connected devices from HP and Nuheara. While this regulation change is currently limited to the US – this technology could go global, with Canada expected to be the most likely to follow.
Yet the ear is a good location for far more than just hearing aids, such as vital sign monitoring or neural signal measurements. In fact, Sonical and EarSwitch demonstrated to IDTechEx how a simple in-ear camera can be used to pick up both heart rate and eye movements as a wearable sensor. Eye-tracking is a crucial element of gaze-controlled keyboards, which help those with motor neurone disease, ALS, and cerebral palsy communicate. Given the ear was also shown to allow users to actively 'click' via muscle tensing, hearables could enable the physically impaired to have more seamless and immersive tools for brain-computer interfacing.
Assistive Technology for Gaming
Assistive technology at CES was not limited to wearables and digital health; there were also examples of solutions for more consumer-focused markets such as gaming.
Sony made headlines with the announcement of their new accessible controller for the PlayStation – the Leonardo project – with a customizable design that players can configure to meet their particular physical needs. This ranges from facilitating all gamers in playing comfortably to enabling them to play at all.
Gaming is an important tool for social interaction for many physically impaired users – and Sony's controller design was heavily informed by the charity SpecialEffect. The accessibility requirements of gamers are highly varied, and it is important OEMs continue to invest in inclusive solutions as the industry evolves.
More on nvtip.com
- AI-Driven Animated Short Film "Blue" Submitted to AIFF Film Festival
- Enhanced Games announce host city and dates -- breaks swimming world record
- Perspectives: Jellyfish Publication of an exciting new human clinical trial of proprietary KollaJell™ collagen peptide formulation
- Las Vegas Realtor Nancy Ruiz Earns Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist™ Designation
- Sequentex Achieves OMNIA Partners Approval, Empowering Public Sector and other Agencies with Streamlined Technology Procurement
Going forward, IDTechEx anticipates the accessibility requirements of an evolving gaming industry will remain a high priority, with customizable hardware solutions also emerging for virtual reality and the metaverse. Indeed, some start-ups have already identified this need, such as VOY and their tunable lenses for myopic users.
Conclusions: Assistive Technology Should Make Users Happier
Improving the quality of life for the physically impaired was seen to motivate a variety of wearable, digital health, and gaming companies at CES 2023. Following the pandemic years, and amongst economic uncertainty, consumers are more likely to invest in technology with a clear utility as opposed to novelty gadgets. Assistive technology achieves this while also offering inclusion, hope, and happiness – making it more likely to achieve commercial success in the near term. For a more detailed analysis of many of the emerging technology markets featured in this article, see IDTechEx's dedicated reports and ten-year market forecasts for Wearable Technology, Wearable Sensors, and Augmented and Virtual Reality.
For the full portfolio of wearable technology research from IDTechEx, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/WT. Sample pages are available for all reports.
About IDTechEx
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.
Media Contact:
Lucy Rogers
Sales and Marketing Administrator
[email protected]
+44(0)1223 812300
Social Media Links:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/IDTechEx
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/IDTechEx
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IDTechExResearch
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg
SOURCE IDTechEx
Filed Under: Business
0 Comments
Latest on nvtip.com
- TEAMSTERS CALL ON NEVADA ASSEMBLY TO PASS BILL REQUIRING HUMAN OPERATORS IN DRIVELESS TRUCKS
- Solomon Eye Physicians & Surgeons announces appointment of Ann Reiling as Chief Operations Officer
- Sumis Partners Launches, Uniting Industry Leaders to Redefine Life Sciences Consulting
- DivX Launches Ultimate Guide to Free MP4 Playback
- Boston Industrial Solutions, Inc. introduces an advanced solvent for LSR silicone
- U.S. Lawmakers Propose New $250 Fee for Green Card Lottery Applicants
- NBA Legend Jeremy Lin, Benny Luo and Sy Huq Team Up to Executive Produce Powerful New Short Film "Ayo, Check Up!"
- Wise Business Plans Helps Immigration Attorneys Strengthen Visa Petitions with USCIS
- Skyline Introduces the Industry's First High-Quality Portable Counter with LED Edge Lighting
- Men's Health Network Urges Memphis Community to Attend 2025 Men's Health Month Summit
- L2 Aviation Honored with James A. Wuenker Growth Award by REDI Cincinnati
- APA Faces Outrage: Child Deaths and a $329 Billion Mental Health Failure
- Class of 2025 - NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
- The Smart Way to Run Your Flooring Business: Comp-U-Floor Delivers Game-Changing Flooring Industry Software
- Bluumly Chosen as Finalist for the 2025 MIT Sloan CIO Symposium's Innovation Showcase
- Live Good Relaunches "Be The Generation" Initiative to Empower Student Leadership Amid Cuts to Public Health and Education
- Host Your Next Retreat in Costa Rica: Tamarindo Bay Boutique Hotel & Studios Offers the Ideal Setting in Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica
- Koplon Implant & Family Dentistry Receives National Recognition as One of the Best Dental Implant Practices in the U.S
- San Antonio Buyer Secures 2.375% Mortgage in 2025-Broker Reveals the Mistake Costing Buyers Thousands
- Heritage at South Brunswick Grand Opening Success!