Love Island star Tasha Ghouri broke down in tears when she was given a pair of Xrai glasses to try for deaf people which show subtitles.
The model and dancer, 24, was born ‘completely deaf’ and was forced to ‘overcome a lot of obstacles’ growing up with a disability she now calls her ‘superpower.’
Her parents learned she was deaf when she was 12 months old and she had a cochlear implant, which is an electronic device, fitted aged five, as well as having years of speech therapy.
‘I wish I had this growing up’: Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri broke down in tears as she was given Xrai glasses for deaf people that show subtitles in real-time
Drying her eyes: The model and dancer, 24, was born ‘completely deaf’ and was forced to ‘overcome a lot of obstacles’ growing up with a disability she now calls her ‘superpower’
Trying the glasses, she said: ‘I don’t know why I am crying. This is going to help so many people. I wish I had this growing up, it would have helped me so much.’
Tasha said that she struggles with her hearing even with her cochlear implant and there are some programmes she cannot watch because they don’t have subtitles.
But now with the glasses, she can.
Sharing a video on Instagram, Tasha said: ‘So this is an emotional one.. @xraiglass is amazing for me and for so many other people out there.
Finding her own way: Tasha’s parents learned she was deaf when she was 12 months old and she had a cochlear implant, which is an electronic device, fitted aged five
She said: ‘Even with my cochlear implant, I struggle still in certain situations, for example at the cinema there’s no subtitles, in group conversations with noisy backgrounds, with TV that’s not subtitled, I now can use these glasses & not miss out’
‘Even with my cochlear implant, I struggle still in certain situations, for example at the cinema there’s no subtitles, in group conversations with noisy backgrounds, with TV that’s not subtitled, I now can use these glasses & not miss out.
‘The fact that the text is in real-time as well Is just insane.’
She continued: ‘As you can see I got emotional because wish I had XRAI Glass growing up, it would have helped me massively but I know this is going to change many many peoples lives that can’t even have access to a hearing aid or a cochlear implant – I’m truly proud to be a part of this amazing company #xraiglass #lifesubtitled.’
The software behind the smart spectacles, designed by British technology firm Xrai Glass, is designed for people who are hard of hearing, but they can help others too.
Pioneering: Tasha modelling the Xrai Glass eyewear
Wearers say ‘Hey, Xrai’ for a recap of what was just said with the glasses showing a text summary. The specs can also translate other languages into English.
Comparing the glasses to Amazon’s voice-activated personal assistant, Xrai said they were like ‘Alexa… but for your eyes’.
It predicted they may one day be available as contact lenses.
The glasses, which weigh under three ounces and have darkened lenses, are connected to the user’s smartphone and project images by using tiny Sony TVs.
The experience is said to be the equivalent of watching a 205-inch IMAX cinema screen.
Xrai said wearers will be able to see the person in front of them and subtitles of what they are saying in real-time
Xrai said wearers will be able to see the person in front of them and subtitles of what they are saying in real-time.
Different people in a group conversation will come up under different colours so the wearer can tell who is talking.
The software is now available through the Xrai app on Google Playstore. The basic version of the app costs nothing, but there are premium versions that cost up to £49.99 a month.
Love: Tasha is in a relationship with Andrew Le Page, who she met on Love Island earlier this year
It is currently only available to use on glasses made by Chines-firm Nreal, which cost £400. But the company hopes it will be able to run on other smart glasses in the future.
Xrai said the device will also allow users to ask questions, such as what the weather is like, with the answers instantly appearing as subtitles.
The glasses can help out holidaymakers struggling to communicate abroad by translating nine languages, including Mandarin and Spanish.
Former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, 23, who was the first deaf contestant and is an ambassador for Xrai, said she cried tears of joy when she tried the technology.
She added: ‘This is really going to change people’s lives.’
New collaborations: Tasha is going to be kept busy in the lead up to Chrismtas as she works with Ann Summers as their new brand ambassador, fronting their first Christmas collection of the year, describing it as a ‘pinch me moment’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk