Xander® Captioning Glasses

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Simplifying Understanding

Xander designs simple, wearable assistive technology to simplify communication, enhance understanding, restore confidence, and empower people with hearing challenges in daily conversations.

Sight for Sound

Our first product, Xander® Captioning Glasses, or "XanderGlasses," uses the principle "sight for sound." In essence, when you can't hear what someone is saying, the glasses let you see what they're saying.

The product has one primary purpose: to assist people who have hearing challenges, enabling them to understand speech and participate in conversations in a natural way. XanderGlasses translate speech to text in real-time, and project accurate captions of conversations that are visible to the wearer only.

Our glasses are powered by Vuzix,​ a pioneer in wearable computing, waveguide optics, and protective smart eyewear, to deliver a simple, reliable, and safe solution that protects privacy.

XanderGlasses Experience
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Simple. Reliable. Private.

Life is busy and complicated. Our users expect quality and convenience. XanderGlasses are distinct in 3 primary ways: They offer simplicity, reliability, and were designed to protect your privacy. Beyond that, they are accurate, personalizable, discreet, safe, durable, convenient and comfortable!

How Do XanderGlasses Differ from Using AI-Powered Smart Glasses for Captioning?

XanderGlasses were designed as assistive technology that excels at one purpose–providing accurate, real-time captions to help those who cannot hear or understand speech to communicate. They differ from consumer smart glasses in key ways.
XanderGlasses and Meta Ray-Ban Display

XanderGlasses: Purpose-Designed Assistive Tech

  • Designed for one purpose–to project real-time captions of speech, enabling people who struggle to hear/understand speech to read and communicate with others in real-time
  • Uses tech to augment interpersonal communication 
  • Standalone device  1 button on/off
  • On-device speech-to-text gives high accuracy, near-zero latency
  • Inclusive binocular display
  • Simple, reliable, and private

Meta Ray-Ban Display: AI-Powered Glasses

  • Designed for multiple purposes–answer questions, navigate, play music, take photos/videos,  translate, and offer captioning as a feature
  • Enhances an individual's ability to access AI
  • Multi-device UI / UX system: glasses, neural band, phone app, service account
  • Requires phone & internet connection: 2-way Bluetooth and WiFi/5G data paths
  • Monocular display, right-eye
  • Conversation data may be used by Meta for AI training

Behind the Glasses

What does it look like wearing XanderGlasses? See the glasses from the wearer's perspective with our co-founders.

The Xander® Captioning Experience

XanderGlasses offer a simple, hands-free way for people with severe hearing loss to understand speech. The glasses have tiny microphones that listen and transcribe speech into text in real-time. When you're wearing the glasses, they project semi-transparent captions in front of you (visible to only you), at about arm's length away. It's like getting instant speech bubbles of conversations in real life. Users describe the experience below.

There When You Need Them

XanderGlasses can be used to supplement your hearing devices, especially in noisy areas, rooms with lots of background noises, or large echoey spaces where hearing aids might struggle to pick up speech. Users describe feeling reassured that the captions are "there when you need them" and help them feel more confident that they understand speech. Users describe the experience below.

Convenient & Natural Interactions

Smartphone apps can provide captions, but to read them, you have to look down at your phone instead of looking at the person speaking. XanderGlasses are hands-free and project semi-transparent captions outward in your field of vision. This allows you to focus on the person speaking and your surroundings. Since the captions display in real-time, you can refer to them as much or as little as needed, all while paying attention to the other person's facial expressions and social cues. Users describe the experience below.

XanderGlasses are designed and manufactured in the U.S.A.

The team at Xander is spread across the U.S. from Boston to Seattle. XanderGlasses are based on the Vuzix Shield smart glasses, which are designed and manufactured in Rochester, New York.
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Supported by Veterans

Xander has a collaboration in place with the Veterans Health Administration, enabling us to work closely with physicians and staff at VA Medical Centers to offer XanderGlasses to qualified Veterans with hearing challenges.
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Could XanderGlasses work for you?

Learn more about our design approach and what sets XanderGlasses apart from other solutions. Dive into the technical details and what's included in the kit. Find out how to own a pair.
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