CES 2023: Xander Premieres Glasses for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Glasses for the deaf or hard of hearing?

Sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s an actual solution being unveiled this week at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) by Boston-based early-stage startup Xander.

Using Vuzix Corporation’s Vuzix Blade, the company’s XanderGlasses is a smart glasses solution that displays real-time captions of in-person conversations to help people with hearing loss. 
 
XanderGlasses are designed to be used like a simple “on” and “off” device. They work anywhere people need them, whether they are at home, at work, or in a loud public setting. As XanderGlasses don’t rely on smartphone or cloud connectivity, they are remarkably reliable and perfectly private. In this augmented reality experience, captions are displayed seamlessly right in the field of view of the wearer.

“Forty-eight million people in the U.S. struggle with hearing loss and that will increase as the population ages. If you can’t hear what others are saying, XanderGlasses can help you see what others are saying,” Xander Co-Founder/CEO Alex Westner explained. “Our team has spent countless hours with people of all stages of hearing loss, and XanderGlasses is the result of our customer-driven approach.”
 
Xander has received awards and recognition at CES 2023 including CTA Foundation Eureka Park Accessibility Contest winner, AARP AgeTech After Dark Finalist, and CES Eureka Park Pitch Competition Finalist. XanderGlasses are expected to be available in Spring 2023.
 
“We’re grateful to the CTA Foundation and AARP for supporting our mission to use sight to augment sound,” Xander Co-Founder Marilyn Morgan Westner said. “Despite advances in other assistive hearing devices, there are situations where many people don’t feel satisfied. XanderGlasses can help people with hearing loss clearly understand others’ speech and feel more confident in conversations.”
 
“Healthcare remains a significant market vertical for Vuzix and Xander’s selection of the Vuzix Blade to power its XanderGlasses is the latest example of how our products can directly improve people’s lives,” Vuzix President/CEO Paul Travers added. “With almost 50 million people in this country alone and 1.5 billion worldwide impacted by some level of hearing loss, the need for products like XanderGlasses is significant and we look forward to supporting their efforts to roll out their solution this year.”   
 
Xander uses augmented reality to enhance in-person conversations and strengthen human connections. Xander’s first product is XanderGlasses, captioning glasses for the millions of people with hearing loss seeking alternatives to hearing aids. Currently, the team is preparing a pilot with the Veteran’s Health Administration.
 
Vuzix supplies smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) technologies and products for the consumer and enterprise markets. The company’s products include personal display and wearable computing devices that offer users a portable viewing experience, provide solutions for mobility, wearable displays, and augmented reality. Vuzix holds 274 patents and patents pending and numerous IP licenses in the video eyewear field. Moviynt, an SAP Certified ERP SaaS logistics solution provider, is a Vuzix wholly owned subsidiary. The company has won CES awards for innovation for the years 2005 to 2023 and several wireless technology innovation awards among others. Founded in 1997, Vuzix is a public company with offices in Rochester, N.Y.; Oxford, U.K.; and Tokyo.