AI software that can be embedded into smart glasses has won a £1 million prize for technology designed to help people with dementia. The software, known as CrossSense, is built into chunky, black-rimmed frames equipped with a camera, microphone and speakers. It guides wearers through everyday life via a chatty assistant called Wispy, which offers verbal cues and floating text to provide prompts, feedback and even light conversation.
CrossSense won the Longitude prize on dementia, funded by the Alzheimer’s Society and Innovate UK, and delivered by Challenge Works and Nesta. The company’s chief executive, Szczepan Orlins, said the prize money would help bring the product to market. A smartphone version is due at the end of 2025, while CrossSense-enabled smart glasses are expected to be available in early 2027. A pilot in people’s homes is planned for late 2026.
The subscription for CrossSense is expected to cost about £50 per month, with the smart glasses themselves costing up to £1,000, though prices may fall. Initially marketed directly to consumers, the aim is for the glasses to eventually be available on the NHS. The frames can be fitted with prescription lenses and are compatible with hearing aids.
In a study involving 23 pairs of people with dementia and their carers, the glasses improved the ability to name household items from 46% correct without the glasses to 82% with them. The benefit persisted even after removal, with 78% correct an hour later. However, Dr Foyzul Rahman, an expert at Loughborough University, noted that larger trials are needed and raised ethical concerns about consent and data collection. He also highlighted that the smart glasses currently have a battery life of only one hour, requiring a portable power bank.
Carole Greig, 70, who has Alzheimer’s and tested the glasses, called the technology “amazing” for giving people more independence. “How fantastic that we can be given some more independence, that we’re going to be able to cope on our own and not be a burden,” she said.
