Meta’s AI Glasses Are Giving Blind People A New Way To See

Mark Zuckerberg-owned tech giant Meta is adding new accessibility features to its AI-powered smart glasses, making them more useful for people who are blind, have low vision or face mobility challenges. The social media company says these updates will help users perform everyday tasks hands-free, without having to take out their phone again and again.."We’re rolling out new features on our AI glasses designed to be more intuitive and hands-free - updates that make the technology more accessible to people across diverse communities, including those who are blind or low vision, or those with mobility disabilities.Our Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit provides resources for developers to build third-party apps for our AI glasses that help people with disabilities navigate

daily life with greater independence," the company said in a blog post.AI Is Creating Fear At Meta As Employees Brace For More Layoffs Meta’s latest update adds several new features to its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. In partnership with Be My Eyes, users can now start a video call with a trusted friend or family member by simply saying, 'Hey Meta, Be My Eyes.' This allows blind and low-vision users to get real-time assistance without using their hands.The company is also introducing full voice controls for calls on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. Users will be able to mute calls, turn video on or off, and hang up entirely through voice commands.Another useful feature is one-touch shortcuts. Users can assign the action button on the glasses to quickly activate a favourite function, such as asking Meta AI to describe the surroundings.More than one billion people worldwide live with some form of disability and Meta says its AI glasses are already helping many of them live more independently.One such user is Donald Overton, a US Army veteran who lost his eyesight in Iraq. He now uses Meta’s smart glasses to read restaurant menus, navigate airports, and move around without carrying multiple assistive devices.Another user, Noah Currier, a quadriplegic and founder of the Oscar Mike Foundation, says the glasses have made it possible for him to take photos and videos using only voice commands.Meta is also opening up its Wearables Device Access Toolkit to developers. Apps like OOrion can help users find objects and avoid obstacles, while Aira connects blind users to trained visual interpreters for live assistance.The company is also working with Carnegie Mellon University on a neural wristband that can detect muscle signals and allow people with spinal cord injuries to control devices using hand gestures.