Jonathan’s Meta Ray-Ban experience

Jonathan, one of our members, is visually impaired and has recently started using Meta Ray-Ban glasses to assist with tasks both inside and outside of the home.

Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses (available in the UK) assist visually impaired users through AI-powered “Look and Tell” features. They allow users to verbally ask for descriptions of their surroundings, read text (menus, letters), identify objects, and connect with Be My Eyes volunteers via an integrated camera.

Key Features for Visual Assistance in the UK:

• “Look and Tell” AI: Users can ask, “Hey Meta, what am I looking at?” to identify objects, read signs, or describe scenes.
• Text-to-Speech: The glasses can read letters, emails, cooking instructions on food packaging, and medication dosages.
• Be My Eyes Integration: Users can instantly connect with sighted volunteers via video call to get live, hands-free assistance for navigating or identifying items.
• Audio Description: The glasses provide audio feedback about the environment, such as identifying doorways or street furniture.
• Discreet Design: As they do not look like traditional, clunky assistive tech, they reduce stigma.
• Hands-Free Control: Voice commands allow for taking photos, sending messages on WhatsApp, and making calls.

These features enable users to manage daily tasks, such as navigating, cooking, and identifying items independently.

Here are some practical tips from Jonathan on using the glasses.

Having used my Meta specs for about a month, I thought that it might be worth describing my accumulated experiences because a number of Coalition members and other acquaintances are learning the benefits of these gadgets.

An excellent example is looking for items on kitchen shelves and cupboards. Hold your posture as if you are looking for specific tins and packets if a tin or packet is slightly pointing away, the device may report the colour but be unable to capture whether Beans are in sauce or with sausages.

Remedy: turn the tin until the whole detail is spoken

Shiny labels may reflect lighting or sunshine.

Remedy: pick up the container and tilt the can or package away from the light source.

Remember that the camera is above the bridge of your nose!

When checking a recipe book always place it on a flat surface. If Meta reports that some of the text appears cut off ensure that you are looking squarely at the centre of the page to get the whole or as much of the page area in view.

Some magazines have blocks of text placed around images.

Try using a piece of plain paper to mask unwanted neighbouring words or images, useful where unrelated information crowds out what you really want to know about.

In general, stapled booklets and manuals are best folded flat so it may be best to spread out what you want to have read as flat as possible.

Some manuals or medication leaflets are folded very small to fit inside the boxes. A simple means of flattening them out is to pop them under the mattress for a few minutes. Once flattened it is usually easier to make sense of where the important information can be found.

When Meta encounters foreign names; non-British names may not be correctly spoken because my specs use an American English dictionary be prepared if European names generate some very strange words! A nicely produced foreign name even if in Block Capitals may be spoken but with time I hope that later productions will make better matches.

Thanks for the helpful tips Jonathan!