These smart glasses use AI to help low-vision users
Pre-orders start at $399.Accessibility-focused tech provider Envision has partnered with eyewear company Solos to launch new smart glasses specifically designed for blind and low-vision users. Envision says the camera-equipped Ally Solos Glasses can read and translate text, describe surroundings, search the web, and recognize people, objects, and signs, feeding information to the user via open-ear speakers built into the ear stems.
The Ally Solos Glasses are available to pre-order today for $399, which Envision says is a special launch pricing" that's discounted from $699. The frames come in two sizes - regular or large - and a choice of black, gray, and brown color options. Shipping for pre-orders is expected sometime in October 2025.
They're built on the existing AirGo Vision glasses that Solos launched in December, which provide their own vision recognition features via OpenAI's GPT-4o AI model. Envision's version replaces GPT-4o with Envision's Ally" AI assistant, which is powered by a combination of foundation AI models, including Meta's Llama, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Perplexity, according to the Ally website.
The AI features work by connecting to the Ally iOS or Android app via Bluetooth. The glasses themselves have a strong IP67 rating for protection from dust and water, and USB-C chargeable ear stems that provide up to 16 hours of active use" on a single charge, according to the pre-order listing. It takes around 90 minutes to fully charge the ear stems, with 15 minutes of fast-charging providing around three hours of battery life.
Accessibility features are already an established benefit on other smart glasses. Envision has previously released assistive eyewear built on the now-defunct Google Glass hardware, for example, and AI vision interpretation features provided by the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have already been embraced by the low-vision community. It's unclear how the Ally Solos Glasses' capabilities will compare to more affordable rivals, given $699 is considerably pricier than the $299 AirGo Vision and Ray-Ban Meta.