A smart device team-up for the hearing and visually impaired

Through a wireless connection, the state-of-the-art artificial intelligence Starkey aid can now stream the information from the lightweight MyEye, which attaches to any pair of glasses, straight to the ear of the also hearing-impaired user.

OrCam MyEye, which won a 2019 TIME Best Invention award, discreetly reads printed and digital text out loud – from any surface – in real time, as well as recognising faces, identifying consumer products, colours, money notes, and more, all offline, without the need for a smartphone or Wi-Fi, resulting in real-time audio communication while ensuring data privacy.

˝By using AI, we're bridging the gap between a patient's hearing health and their overall health and wellness,˝ said Starkey's Chief Technology Officer Achin Bhowmik. ˝This partnership with the OrCam MyEye device allows us to achieve even greater success in our quest to help people live happier and healthier lives.˝

"People who have both vision and hearing loss are often unable to find solutions that effectively address both of these limitations," said OrCam Technologies Co-founder and Co-CEO Professor Amnon Shashua. "OrCam's cooperation with Starkey represents an advantageous opportunity, demonstrating OrCam’s ability to apply the advanced computer vision and machine learning methods we have developed to transmit the visual world through audio, in collaboration with Starkey’s Livio Edge AI hearing aids, to deliver a true and total solution. This holistic technological approach provides the ability for those with both vision and hearing loss to access the world more independently."

Patients may purchase the Starkey/OrCam technology by contacting their hearing or eye care professional, and providers may contact their local assistive technology distributor. For more information on Livio Edge AI, click here. For more information on OrCam MyEye, click here.

Source: Starkey/OrCam