A Saudi-led startup has created AI-powered glasses that could provide greater freedom and mobility to MENA’s blind and visually impaired people, writes Matt Smith.
Dubai-headquartered Amal Glass is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for the benefit of those who cannot see. It aims to sell 10,000 units of its $1,500 smart glasses within the next two years. That would generate at least $15 million in sales, but potential riches are not the motivation for the company’s founders, who have been working on this project for nearly a decade.
“Our first goal [is] to help people - we look at that as our challenge. To reach people. To empower them. This may be difficult because many blind people are poor, and they couldn’t afford to buy the glasses, so our challenge is to convince governments to provide the glasses to the people who need them,” says Saad Albidnah, CEO of Amal Glass.
As of 2015, In the Middle East and North Africa, 0.95% percent of people were blind and a further 4.62% had moderate and severe vision impairment, according to a 2019 academic study.
The plight of these people inspired Albidnah and his engineer son Bandar Albidnah to join forces with inventor Mohammed Islam to develop the glasses. The product is based on Islam’s pioneering research in robotics and comes equipped with around a dozen in-built functions, from simple features like weather notifications to more sophisticated ones like colour detection, distance calculations, a GPS tracker and an SOS alert in case the user gets lost.
The glasses contain numerous sensors and are connected by a thin wire to a data processing unit placed in the user’s pocket. The wi-fi-enabled processing unit also includes a 4G SIM card to provide internet connectivity wherever a mobile signal is available.
Weighing slightly more than a standard pair of sunglasses, Amal’s creation allows users to control it via a keypad located on the right-hand side of the frame. In future, the company plans to include voice control.
The device can read printed text in Arabic and English, relaying it in speech form to the user via a small earpiece. Other features include barcode reading, currency denominator identification, prayer time alerts, a digital radio, an audio library that can be expanded, and aural time and date notifications on demand.
“The glasses are a smart device - for example, the camera will take a photo and send it to the processor, which analyses it and tells the wearer what’s in it,” says Albidnah, a Saudi national and former director-general of Arab Satellite Communications Organization (ARABSAT).
Since they are classified as an electronic, not a medical device, the glasses do not require regulatory approval. The monthly subscription to Amal’s services costs $5.
The company plans to have the final version of its product ready in March, after which it will seek external investors. It is also in talks with mobile operators about providing monthly subscription packages for the SIM card. UAE telco du has ordered 60,000 dirhams ($16,528) worth of product, and Amal has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Telecom ahead of an expected order.
The company, which has also received 105,000 dirhams of advance orders from individuals via its website, is teaming up with state and private healthcare providers to sell the glasses to those in need, according to Albidnah. In addition, it has launched an open-source software development kit so that other programmers can create software or apps for the glasses.
The next version will come equipped with various additional applications, including obstacle warning – the glasses will measure the distance between the user’s upper body and surrounding objects (trees, walls or lampposts), triggering an alarm when they get too close.
Production of the glasses, which are being manufactured in Dubai, began in January 2020. According to Albidnah, the company will initially target MENA, with a particular focus on the Gulf and Egypt.