With their thick plastic frame and wide arms, the thick glasses look like 3D specs handed out in a 1990s movie theater – not the kind of technology you associate with 21st century science prizes.
But put them on, and it’s the real world that takes on a new dimension.
Designed to help people with dementia, the glasses provide wearers with a screen in front of their eyes on which a blue target floats that can be aimed at objects.
The system not only identifies items, such as a kitchen appliance, but can also provide information on how to use them and use artificial intelligence (AI) to learn from previous interactions.
With a built-in microphone and speakers, the glasses can record and play back memories related to objects, while a soft female voice with a Scottish twist interacts with the wearers.
They are one of five projects that reach the final of the European Championship longitude prize for dementia – a £1 million prize for technology designed to help people with such conditions live independently.
“The premise of the glasses… is that you just look around the environment and the assistant guides you through the experience,” says Szczepan Orlins, the director of Animorph, one of the companies behind the device. “So in a sense we’re trying to jump over the interfaces that you need to learn to use a phone, and just build on natural capabilities.”
Although the devices are still a work in progress – the glasses seem quite heavy and don’t deal well with the background hum of air conditioning, for example – expectations are high.
“AI offers exciting opportunities to help people with dementia stay active and independent, allowing them to live in their own home for as long as possible. By harnessing the power of technology, we can support memory retrieval and help people maintain their daily routines,” said Kate Lee, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, which is funding the prize along with Innovate UK.
The quintet has been reduced from 24 semi-finalists who previously shared £1.9 million in funding, with each of the five finalists receiving a further £300,000 for development. The overall winner, who will take home the £1 million prize, will be announced in early 2026.
Among the other finalists are two teams behind different wearable devices. One uses football field sensor technology to anticipate falls, while the other collects data on wearers’ daily habits and prompts them to take actions in tracking their routines. If the wearer does not respond, the device can alert a caregiver.
Another finalist has developed a home assistance device that combines a screen into a device with what resembles a traditional phone, allowing for video calls, among other things.
There is also a team in the running that has created a privacy-based monitoring system, similar to a Freeview box, that sits in the home of the person with dementia.
Dr. Matt Ash, co-founder and chief technology officer at Supersense Technologies, which developed the device, said that rather than relying on invasive technology such as cameras or microphones, the system uses radar to track the location and movement of people across multiple locations. to monitor. rooms and uses machine learning – a type of AI – to identify when something unusual is happening.
It can then share reassuring text updates, insights into changes or even urgent alerts with family members and caregivers. “We can look at trends and how behavior changes as symptoms worsen, allowing family members to intervene at the right time so they can appropriately tailor their care interventions,” Ash said.
“One of the features that really appeals to the families we work with is the daily notification in the morning that mom is up and about and that the heating in the house is on.”
Each team worked with people with experience of dementia, providing crucial feedback and insights.
“We don’t want to develop something that no one wants,” Ash said. “And we really want to solve unmet needs that are real and rooted in reality.”
Tris Dyson, the chief executive of Challenge Works, which administers the award, said the use of AI was particularly exciting and highlighted the benefits such technology can deliver.
“You can imagine this is the start of a whole series of AI-based technologies that, where these guys start, others will follow (and) that will be very exciting in this space,” he said.