French startup Pulse Audition announced that its spectacle frames, which use AI to make speech more intelligible in noisy environments, will be launched in 2025.
Designed in partnership with French frame-designer and manufacturer Morel, the ‘hearing’ frames are aimed at users who struggle to focus on speech in circumstances where there are many competing sounds, said Pulse Audition co-founder and CEO Manuel Pariente. “The frames amplify the speech of the target speakers, and only the speech, in order to improve intelligibility,” he said.
The frames are more suited to individuals who need auditory support but are not yet ready for hearing aids, rather than, for example, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who struggle to focus when there are competing sounds, explained Pariente. “The frames do not perform noise reduction, because it is an open-ear product, so we do not believe it would be helpful to ADHD patients.” Also, due to the high production costs, the frames will not be initially produced in children’s sizes, he said.
Morel’s role in the frames' development focused on wearability, said Pariente. “One of Morel's core values is comfort and it seemed obvious to us to ask them for a design that provides physical comfort on top of auditory comfort. They agreed with our vision.” The frames are suited to all lens types, he said.
The frames recharge via an Apple AirPods-like charging case and are expected to have a four-hour battery life. “Enough to get through a long family meal or long meetings,” said Pariente. Real-time language translation is also among planned feature updates. The hearing frames will be available in Australia and New Zealand a short time after their European launch, since certifications will be handled separately for the region, he said.
