Captioning Glasses: Live Captions in Your Line of Sight
Captioning glasses turn speech into text and float it in the lenses, so you can watch the speaker's face and read the words at the same time. Here is what is on the market, what it costs when the maker publishes a price, how the glasses compare with caption apps and CART, and where Floridians can try them.
What are captioning glasses?
Captioning glasses, also called caption glasses or subtitle glasses, are eyeglasses or clip-on displays that show live speech-to-text captions in your field of vision. A microphone on the glasses or on your phone picks up the speaker, software turns the speech into text, and the words appear on a small transparent display so you can keep looking at the person instead of down at a screen.
Most current models rely on a smartphone app to do the speech recognition, which means they need a phone and usually an internet connection or a downloaded language pack. Accuracy depends on the same things that affect any automatic captioning: how close and clear the speaker is, background noise, accents and specialized vocabulary.
They are a different product from "hearing glasses." Hearing glasses put open-ear speakers and microphones in the frame to amplify sound. Captioning glasses show text and make no sound at all, which is why many people with severe loss, or who simply tire of straining to hear, find them useful.
Caption glasses on the market
Prices below are only listed where the manufacturer publishes them, and they change often. Check the maker's page before you buy.
XRAI
XRAI is a captioning app that works on a phone alone or with augmented-reality glasses. The company sells its own glasses, the XRAI AR2, and lists other compatible AR glasses on its site. The app advertises real-time captions, translation across hundreds of languages, speaker identification and conversation summaries. At the time of writing the AR2 glasses were listed at $699, with the app sold by subscription.
TranscribeGlass
TranscribeGlass is a small clip-on display that attaches to your own eyeglasses and shows captions from any source on a transparent screen in front of one eye. It is aimed at deaf and hard of hearing people, older adults and anyone who wants captions in conversation, at work or in the cinema. The company does not publish a price on its home page and directs visitors to a waitlist.
Hearview
Hearview sells full smart glasses with captions projected in front of both eyes, powered by a phone app, with support for more than 30 languages and translation. At the time of writing the MYVU Air model was listed at a sale price of $419 against a regular price of $599, with prescription frames and sunglass clips sold separately.
Nuance Audio glasses are not captioning glasses
Nuance Audio glasses come up in the same searches, but they are hearing glasses: frames with built-in open-ear speakers and directional microphones that amplify the voice in front of you. They show no text. If your goal is to read what people say, they are not the product you are looking for.
Sources: XRAI · TranscribeGlass · Hearview · Nuance Audio
Captioning glasses versus caption apps on a phone
Before spending several hundred dollars, try a caption app on the phone you already own. Google's Live Transcribe is free on Android, comes preinstalled on Pixel phones, and can download language packs so it works without a signal. Apple's Live Captions does the same job on iPhone. Otter and Ava are popular paid apps that add features such as saving transcripts, naming speakers and sharing a caption session with a group.
Where glasses win
- Eye contact. You read and watch lips at the same time instead of looking down.
- Hands free. Useful at a counter, on a tour or while eating.
- Privacy. Nobody else sees the captions.
Where the phone wins
- Cost. The app is free or a few dollars a month; the glasses are hundreds of dollars plus, for some, a subscription.
- Screen size. A phone shows more lines of text, which helps when captions run behind.
- Sharing. You can hand a phone to a companion or put it between two speakers at a table.
- Battery. Small glasses displays run a few hours; a phone lasts the day.
Under the display, the speech recognition in most glasses is the same automatic captioning used by phone apps, so the accuracy is similar. The glasses change how you see the text, not how good it is.
Captioning glasses versus CART
CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) is a trained human captioner writing what is said, in person or remotely, at near-perfect accuracy with names, technical terms and punctuation right. It is the standard for meetings, classes, medical appointments and legal settings, and under the ADA it is one of the auxiliary aids a covered organization may need to provide at no charge to you.
Automatic captions in glasses or apps are a personal tool for everyday conversation. They are convenient and private but they make mistakes, especially with noise, several speakers or an accent the software has not heard. For anything where a wrong word matters, request CART or a qualified interpreter.
Where to try captioning glasses in Florida
- HLAA-FL chapter meetings. Members bring devices they own and vendors sometimes demonstrate; ask your chapter what is coming up.
- The HLAA national convention exhibit hall, where most captioning glasses makers show their products side by side.
- Manufacturer trial or return periods. Buy only from a seller that states its return window in writing and test the glasses in the places you struggle most.
- Florida vocational rehabilitation and some employers may fund captioning devices as a workplace accommodation; ask before you purchase.
Captioning glasses questions
Do captioning glasses work in noisy restaurants?
Partly. The captions come from automatic speech recognition, and every such system loses accuracy as background noise rises. Glasses that use a microphone on the frame or let you place your phone near the speaker do better than a microphone in your pocket. Expect good results one-on-one across a table, mixed results in a loud bar, and better performance from a human captioner or a remote microphone in the hardest rooms.
Are captioning glasses covered by insurance?
Generally no. Most health plans, including Medicare, do not cover captioning glasses. Some people have had them funded as a workplace accommodation through an employer or vocational rehabilitation, and veterans can ask the VA. Ask the seller whether they accept FSA or HSA cards, and keep receipts in case a program later reimburses assistive technology.
What is the difference between captioning glasses and hearing glasses?
Captioning glasses show live text of what people say on a display in the lenses and make no sound. Hearing glasses, such as Nuance Audio, put speakers and microphones in the frame to amplify the voice in front of you, like an open-fit hearing aid built into eyewear. One is for reading, the other for listening.
Can I get captions without buying glasses?
Yes. Live Transcribe on Android and Live Captions on iPhone are free, and paid apps such as Otter and Ava add transcripts and group sessions. For phone calls, Florida residents with hearing loss can get a free captioned telephone through FTRI. For meetings and events, ask the organizer for CART, which the ADA may require them to provide.
See the technology before you buy
Members at HLAA-FL chapters across Florida share what works for them, from caption apps to captioning glasses. Bring your questions to a meeting.