Tech developers have introduced a pair of new AI-powered smart glasses to try to help the blind and other visually impaired people navigate the world.
Dutch startup Envision, who in 2020 partnered with Google to launch the first commercially available AI glasses for blind and low-vision users, has teamed up with smart eyewear company Solos to create the Ally Solos Glasses.
Dubbed “the first truly wearable AI glasses built for accessibility,” the Ally Solos Glasses have been designed specifically to help people who are blind or have low vision. They aim to provide hands-free access to the world around them through natural voice interaction.
“The Ally Solo Glasses are AI-powered smart glasses designed to give people who are blind or low-vision hands-free access to information,” a spokesperson for Solos and Envision told Newsweek.
“At their core, they combine a discreet camera, a lightweight speaker, and voice interaction with Ally, an accessible AI assistant. A wearer can simply ask the glasses to describe their surroundings, read text, recognize objects, or assist with daily tasks. Everything happens through natural voice conversation, without needing a phone or screen.”
Envision/Solos
“Unlike general-purpose smart glasses, Ally Solos Glasses are purpose-built for accessibility,” the spokesperson said. “Every feature is designed with blind, low-vision, elderly, and neurodiverse users in mind.”
The Ally website says that the glasses enable users to “read menus, recognize surroundings, objects, people, and much more,” simply by speaking. This hands-free design, developers say, makes the glasses especially useful not only for blind and low-vision users, but also for older adults, people with cognitive disabilities, caregivers, and anyone who finds current tech difficult to use.
Built upon Solos’ AirGo platform, the glasses benefit from a robust software development kit that supports ongoing feature expansion. “Ally Solos Glasses are built upon Solos AirGo, one of the leading smart-glasses platforms with a robust SDK [software development kit],” the spokesperson said. “This enables users to also have the best smart glasses technology and features.”
A key differentiator of the Ally Solos Glasses is their global orientation. The developers emphasized the importance of multilingual capabilities and cultural adaptability. “Ally, the AI assistant, is multilingual and is being rolled out in several major world languages, with ongoing expansion based on user feedback,” the spokesperson said.
“Beyond just translation, the system is trained to adapt to different cultural contexts, such as recognizing non-Western scripts, local currencies, or unique environmental cues.”
The glasses are also intended to help those with limited literacy skills. “The glasses rely on conversational, spoken interaction rather than written prompts, which lowers barriers to use,” the spokesperson noted.
“While English support is the most mature today, additional languages are actively being introduced to ensure Ally is inclusive for diverse communities worldwide.”
Envision/Solos
The Ally Solos Glasses represent a hardware evolution from the earlier Envision Glasses, which ran on Google Glass and processed tasks directly on the device. In contrast, the Ally Solos Glasses off-load processing to the user’s smartphone, making the glasses significantly lighter and more comfortable.
“This makes them much lighter, more comfortable, and longer-lasting on battery,” the spokesperson said. “The integration with Ally also means you get constant software updates, richer conversational AI, and access to both free and Pro features that grow more powerful over time.”
Privacy and data protection were also central to the design of Ally Solos. “The glasses capture visual information only when the user initiates it, and all processing is done securely through the Ally app on the user’s phone,” the spokesperson said.
“We follow strict GDPR and global privacy standards, and data is never shared without consent. We’ve built Ally with privacy by design principles. This means minimizing the amount of data collected, giving users control over what is stored, and ensuring that sensitive information is processed with the highest level of security.”
The Ally Solos Glasses are now available for preorder through the Ally website, with deliveries expected by October this year.
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