If you are deaf or hard of hearing going to the theatre can be an almost impossible task. Infrared induction loops can often amplify the noises you don’t want to hear, drowning out the actors, and caption screens are often set to the side of the stage, meaning you miss half of the performance. These services aren't always available either, with only around four per cent of productions available to watch with things like smart captions. This is why London's National Theatre (NT) has teamed up with Accenture to create augmented reality (AR) glasses to broadcast subtitles to your eyes during its productions. The smart glasses, created by Epson, look similar to Google Glass, and deliver the NT’s live captioning service straight to the person wearing them. Dave Finch, a member of the NT’s testing group who is hard of hearing, said the new glasses allow him to be fully engrossed in a theatre performance again. “For someone hard of hearing [the glasses] literally represent the difference between being able to go to the theatre whenever you choose and staying away,” said Finch. “Quite a lot of deaf people don’t realise what is out there to help or haven’t even contemplated that an evening at the theatre is possible, but these glasses represent a fantastic step forward." The Smart Glasses project has been in the works for about a year, ever since the National decided to expand and enhance its service options for people with hearing loss. The theatre worked with Accenture’s Extended Reality Group, its partner for innovation, which introduced the organisation to Epson. A lot has gone into the development of the service. The NT’s technical department collaborated with Professor Andrew Lambourne, an expert in live-subtitling, to develop its Open Access Smart Capture technology. This tech uses voice-following software to track precisely where the show is in the script, so the right subtitles are delivered at the right time. As well, lighting and sound cues come up too, such as if there is a flash of lightning or the sound of rain in the production. Accenture and the NT then worked with Epson to find the right glasses to deliver the service. Epson’s Moverio BT-350 smart glasses were developed specifically with arts and culture applications in mind. Features such as the ability to customise the typeface, size, colour and position of the subtitles were a big hit with the test group. The NT now has 90 smart glasses available for use. They will be available to book for performances including Hadestown and War Horse, and will be rolled out later this month for all shows in the new season. At the moment, you will have to express a preference to use the glasses when you book tickets. NT is also going to take the technology on tour to select theatres in its Macbeth touring show, and is working with the Leeds Playhouse to expand the tech to the theatre’s 2019 season. Susan Daniels, CEO of the National Deaf Children’s Society, who has been profoundly deaf since the age of four, described the initiative as “a positive step in the right direction”. “By developing this pioneering new technology, the National Theatre is sending a powerful signal to deaf people across the country. Too often I’ve missed out on productions because the one captioned performance is at an inconvenient time, on an inconvenient day. I hope these caption glasses will make that a thing of the past. “But this doesn’t just have the potential to benefit me – for countless deaf children across the country this could be transformative. From school trips, to Christmas pantos, to seeing a performance your friend has recommended at the last minute, the world of theatre will be prised open to a whole new audience,” said Daniels. It’s an amazing example of how AR can be used to benefit people in real life. The technology itself is starting to gain traction, with companies like Blue Vision Labs and Apple creating applications to demonstrate its power; whether it’s an AR version of Google Maps with on-screen directions or even the ability to measure your pets using your smartphone. Accenture Digital’s managing director, George Marcotte, said this a demonstration of how tech can be used to improve people’s lives. “Partnering with the NT on these smart glasses is a real-life example of how we can use technology to make the experience better for patrons of the theatre. “We hope that by showing how it’s possible to innovate around technology inspires ideas for creating better experiences elsewhere,” he added.
Deaf theatregoers will soon be able to benefit from smart glasses that use augmented reality (AR) to broadcast subtitles. The technology is being developed by the National Theatre of Ireland and has been funded through a €1.5 million grant from the Irish Arts Council. Dave Finch, one of the NT's testers, said the glasses meant he could be fully engrossed in a stage performance once again.