“We’re not trying to reinvent hearing aids. We’re trying to give them superpowers.”
Scientists from Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh, Napier, and Sterling universities have created AI-powered glasses that give wearers “superhuman” hearing. Equipped with a camera that translates lip movements into speech, the smart spectacles filter out background noise and deliver clear audio, helping over 1.2 million UK adults with severe hearing loss.
“We’re not trying to reinvent hearing aids. We’re trying to give them superpowers,” said Mathini Sellathurai of Heriot-Watt University. Users simply look at the person they want to hear, and the AI isolates their voice, even in crowded settings.
Sound data is processed in Sweden, but high-speed broadband or 5G makes it “feel instant.” The glasses could also benefit workers in noisy environments like oil rigs.
“There are only a few big companies that make hearing aids, and they have limited support in noisy environments,” Professor Sellathurai added. A commercial version is expected by 2026, with plans to make the cloud-based model publicly accessible.