The healthcare, patient care, and medical training field is deep, with investments from XR firms in part due to the emerging technology’s perceived potential to improve the qualities of training, life, and work.
Across the broad spectrum of healthcare use cases, MR headsets and AR smart glasses are commonly tested as a tool for healthcare professionals to improve workplace performance and patient satisfaction.
The emerging technology space is making its mark, perhaps approaching a tipping point. However, a more emerging side of immersive healthcare technology that may come closer to everyday life and work is XR solutions that promote inclusivity and accessibility.
Notably, recent developments from heARsight are showing how AR smart glasses can be an accessibility tool for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals, helping with communication.
This month, heARsight Inc. is entering a trial period to test a pair of AR smart glasses that assist deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with communication by using text-to-speech services.
The AR smart glasses startup is partnering with MICROOLED, an OLED micro-display designer and manufacturer, to create the XR healthcare solution for those who are hard of hearing. The new device will translate real-time text-to-speech data into an AR visualisation to assist the wearer with peer-to-peer engagement.
heARsight has a background in providing innovative healthcare solutions. heARsight is receiving funding from various backers to leverage emerging technology to enhance the lives of those who are deaf or head of hearing with XR. On the other hand, MICROOLED is bringing its experiences in providing high-quality display technology for near-sight AR applications to the device.
The partnership sees heARsight adopt MICROOLED’s Activelook display product, which secures the firm with a power-efficient, high brightness, lightweight, and long battery life AR wearable. Therefore, users can leverage the device for extended periods to assist with daily tasks and communication.
Moreover, the mobile lightweight AR headset leverages MICROOLED’s “Light AR” application development platform to ensure high performance and optimisation to create a breakthrough accessibility solution.
Riley Ellingsen, the Co-Founder and CEO of heARsight Inc., noted that the firm’s mission is “to remove barriers faced by individuals who have hearing difficulties.” The CEO also explained the partnership with MICROOLED to bring its unique display technology to the breakthrough wearer allows heARsight to “provide an unparalleled hearing assistive technology experience that empowers our users to fully engage with the world around them.”
Eric Marcellin-Dibon, the CEO of MICROOLED, also added:
The chance to support heARsight’s mission is a very meaningful one, as it fully demonstrates that our ActiveLook platform for “LightAR” enables people to do things that are otherwise not easy, or not possible. Our ultra-efficient displays have many applications, but few are more important than enabling people to communicate and interact in natural, intuitive, and effective ways. As we like to say: Better, smarter, faster.
A Deep Trial Roadmap
Emerging healthcare and patient care solutions must undergo a lot of trialling to ensure firms can guarantee positive outcomes for professionals, students, or patients.
Dealing with an individual’s health requires a nuanced approach. A firm should only present an XR solution as a genuinely impactful product if proper trialling processes are maintained throughout development.
heARsight appears to be considering their trial period seriously. The firm is running an initial trial to ensure its immersive healthcare solutions are robust and user-friendly. Additionally, the firm is working on an accompanying iOS and Android application that operates alongside the ActiveLook by MICROOLED smart glasses to deliver its text-to-speech visuals.
The first trial period is currently sourcing participants from a waitlist. heARsight is experiencing a notable waitlist of roughly 1,300 participants, and the firm will launch the beta testing period this month.
The trial will attempt to ensure that MICROOLED’s ActiveLook technologies work optimally with heARsight’s real-time subtitle applications to improve everyday quality of life and inclusion.
