Augmented reality based accessibility company Aira has selected US operator AT&T to be its global data provider as it begins to take the service to Australia, Canada and the UK.
“We chose GAAD to make this announcement because bringing accessibility to everyone forms the very core of Aira’s mission,” said Suman Kanuganti, CEO of Aira. “Working with AT&T to make our service available around the globe is the next step in using this technology to improve daily lives.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 253 million people live with impaired vision. For over a year, AT&T and Aira have worked together in the US to help many of the blind and those with low vision complete daily tasks more easily.
Connected Aira glasses have also assisted with new challenges like starting college, running the Boston Marathon, and even experiencing the solar eclipse. Now, people around the world who are blind or have low vision can use smart glasses to access public transportation, navigate busy streets, shop in stores or recognize people, without another person to physically accompany them.
The AT&T global network connects Aira’s smart glasses, worn by blind and low vision users known as “Explorers”, to trained, professional agents. Agents use a built-for-purpose dashboard that provides details such as the Explorer’s location and profile, in combination with a secure, near real-time stream of video. At just the tap of a button, this information is provided to Explorers so they can perform tasks.
“The combination of Aira’s groundbreaking assistive technology and our highly secure global wireless connectivity helps the user ‘see’ the world around them,” said Chris Penrose, President of IoT, AT&T. “That world just got bigger. This global expansion can bring the Aira platform to millions of individuals who can benefit from this service.”
Aira worked with the AT&T Foundry for Connected Health to improve the delivery of its platform, and will begin to market its service in Australia and Canada this month and in the UK later this year.
First published in Healthcare Innovation