Over the twenty years that I have been following and studying the technology market, I have become passionate about useful products. More than a passion, it is an obsession, in the sense that I love objects and technologies that can tangibly change people’s lives. For me, this means progress. That is why, a couple of years ago, I began to follow with curiosity the Nuance Audio Glasses developed by EssilorLuxottica.
Already exhibited at CES in Las Vegas, they are now finally on sale in Italy, the first country in Europe (followed by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain) to market glasses that improve vision and hearing. This alone is enough to understand why we are talking about an unprecedented device that combines personalised vision correction with invisible acoustic support.
Who needs these glasses?
Classified as a Class IIA medical device, approved by the EU Medical Device Regulation and the US Food and Drug Administration, the glasses open up a new frontier in wearables, moving in a different direction from augmented reality-based models. In this case, the aim is not to create a wow effect by adding information but to improve the hearing of the approximately 1.2 billion people who suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss.
It is not a solution for the deaf but for those who struggle to recognise voices in noisy environments. From crowded restaurants to meeting rooms where many people pass through to convivial group moments, Nuance Audio Glasses can remedy ear problems.
Effective and invisible support
An elegant solution that can be fitted with any type of lens, EssilorLuxottica’s glasses integrate six asymmetrical directional microphones which, thanks to an algorithm developed by Israeli start-up Nuance Hearing (acquired by the Italian-French company two years ago), isolate voices from background noise.
This process improves the sound experience and, therefore, makes it easier to understand what others are saying within a radius of about two metres.
Another winning feature of the product is that the hearing support is invisible: there is nothing to wear on the ears, just a pair of glasses with a light, thin frame, similar to a pair of prescription glasses. This is a decisive factor, as it eliminates the embarrassment of having to wear devices that, in the eyes of others, indicate the presence of a deficit to be compensated for.
Like any contemporary tech product, these glasses also have a smartphone app that allows users to personalise their listening experience. With the Nuance Audio App, you can choose between front or 360-degree mode, as well as set one of four amplification presets to suit your needs, in addition to managing the volume and perceived ambient noise level.
The app will also provide updates over time to optimise the device, although those who are less familiar with smartphones can do the same with a remote control, which can be purchased separately.
A big first step
Available in black and burgundy in the Square (with square frames in two versions, 54 and 56 mm) and Pathos (with rounded frames, 48 mm) models, Nuance Audio Glasses are on sale in over 5,000 stores in a package that includes a foldable case and a wireless charging base with USB-C cable.
The price starts at 1,100 euros, which is high for a pair of glasses but not for glasses that correct hearing, considering the cost of hearing aids, which remain the first choice for more severe hearing loss. Not everyone with hearing problems will be able to afford to buy the device immediately (waiting for more models to arrive and reduce the price), but it is clear that Nuance Audio marks an important first step in offering an effective solution for mild to moderate vision and hearing impairments. That is what matters.
