CES shows tech’s potential to make society more inclusive

Exhibitors at CES 2023 have highlighted the capabilities of consumer electronics to deliver assistive technology, mirroring the broader social trend of increasing awareness around inclusivity.

That’s according to research consultancy IDTechEx which conducted interviews at the show which took place in Las Vegas on 5-8 January.

The consultancy said that while visitors to the show were keen to see how they could watch movies on the go or translate Chinese in real time with AR smart glasses, in the short term, the technology is likely to be used by people with visual or hearing impairments.

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 miniaturised cameras and speakers within the plastic arms.

Start-up companies including Xrai, XanderGlasses and Seleste Audio have teamed up with AR hardware platform providers such as Vuzix to create software that transforms AR glasses into tools for real-time text-to-speech or speech-to-text. The smart glasses will 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.

Most of the other wearable technology on display 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.

As a result of the US removing the requirement for a medical exam or professional fitting for people wishing to use hearing aids, many companies at CES were demonstrating over-the-counter devices. These ranged EARGO's invisible buds to Bluetooth-connected devices from HP and Nuheara.

Sonical and EarSwitch demonstrated how in-ear cameras could be used as wearable sensors to monitor vital signs such as heart rate or eye movements. Eye-tracking is a key element of gaze-controlled keyboards, which help people neurological conditions or cerebral palsy communicate. It was demonstrated how the ear allows users to actively ‘click’ via muscle tensing, meaning hearables could enable the physically impaired to have more seamless and immersive tools for brain-computer interfacing.

Exhibitors at CES also highlighted how assistive technology could be utilised in markets such as gaming – an important tool for social interaction for many physically impaired users. Sony unveiled its accessible controller for the PlayStation – the Leonardo project – featuring a customisable design that players can configure to meet their physical needs.

For more information about wearable technology research from IDTechEx, visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/WT.