AI software for smart glasses wins £1m prize for technology to help people with dementia

Glasses use verbal cues and floating text to assist wearers and are expected to be available in early 2027 AI software that can be embedded into smart glasses has won a £1m prize for technology to help people with dementia. Built into chunky, black-rimmed frames that have a camera, microphone and speakers, the tech – known as CrossSense – guides wearers through everyday life by means of a chatty assistant called Wispy. Not only can Wispy offer prompts and feedback during tasks – through verbal cues and text that floats in front of the wearer’s eyes – but it can also ask questions, engage in light conversation and aid reminiscences. The software has won the Longitude prize on dementia, one of a number of awards designed and delivered by Challenge Works and supported by Nesta. Funded by Alzheimer’s Society and Innovate UK, the prize aimed to encourage the development of technology to help people with dementia stay independent for longer. About 150 million people globally are expected to be living with dementia by 2050. Szczepan Orlins, the chief executive of CrossSense Ltd, said the prize money would help to bring the company’s product to market. He said a smartphone v