Late last year, I reviewed the Solos AirGo smart glasses and even named them among my 12 favourite tech products of the year. One of the features that really stood out for me is the Live Translate that allows you to carry on a conversation with someone in real-time, translating their voice to your native language and yours to theirs. You get both audio and text in the app making it a seamless experience. At CES 2024, Solos is announcing an expansion of this feature with multilingual group communications in real-time, thanks to the use of OpenAI.
The SolosTranslate feature now includes new operating modes like Listen, Group, Text, and Present so you can have a conversation with multiple people, everyone speaking in the language they are most comfortable communicating in. Listen Mode will be like the previous option for one-on-one interactions with someone directly in front of you. Speech from the other person is captured by the glasses and played back to you privately so you can understand. With the new Group mode, you can initiate or join a group via QR code or web link and either wear the AirGo3 glasses or join using a smartphone to communicate with everyone. In Text Mode, the messages are translated in written form in the app, and you can display the translates text to the other person, or have it played back aloud for them to hear. Finally, there’s Present Mode, which is designed for presentations. Wear the glasses and as you speak in your own language, it will be translated in real-time to the audience in whatever language they prefer and in both text and audio. Only the host is active in this mode, but you can switch to post-presentation for an interactive Q&A session after.
SolosTranslate is built on Solos’ proprietary software platform and OpenAI’s ChatGPT for effective live translation. The new modes are designed to help particularly in a business settings, while traveling, at conventions, and more. Thanks to Whisper Technology, the glasses can recognize speech and play it back even in noisy environments. The translation feature can also be used as a learning tool for those trying to familiarize themselves with another language.
The glasses continue to feature ChatGPT as well so you can ask questions about things like poplar paintings and landmarks, for example, and get answers right from the glasses. (There’s no real-time, location-based ChatGPT access just yet).
AirGo3, released in September, are powered by conversational AI through ChatGPT, and Smart Hinge technology that allows for prescription lenses and interchangeable front frame styles for fashion, sports, and everyday wear. AirGo3’s wearable AI platform combines the functionality of earbuds with eyewear and a voice assistant. Anti-blue lenses come standard on each pair of Solos frames to help ease digital eye strain. Light-adjusting photochromic lenses, polarized sunglasses lenses, and prescription lenses are also available. They come in three versions for pricing ranging from US$199 to US$299; prescription lenses are extra.