‘A world without language barriers’ – that’s the mantra of Waverly Labs, the company behind The Pilot, a wearable in-ear device that will allow two people speaking different languages to communicate.
The device will translate in real time right there in your ear, resembling something a little like the Babelfish in The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.
It’s being described as “at the convergence of wearable technology and machine translation… the world’s first smart earpiece”.
All you need to do is fit the earpiece into your ear and pre-select the language you want to translate using the handy app. It even translates common dialects (although good luck with thicker accents!).
Just think – no more ‘lost in translation’ issues when you’re asking for directions, renewing your work permit or, er, negotiating with the bar girls on Soi Cowboy.
But alas, The Pilot is initially only available for French, Spanish, Italian and English right now (but we’re petitioning for a Thai capability). Also in development and hoped to be available shortly are Arabic, Hindi, Slavic, Semitic, African and East Asian languages.
Here’s The Pilot in action:
It also comes with an extra earpiece for wireless streaming music and access to the accompanying app. It works offline and overseas, borne from over 2 years of research and development from Waverly Labs.
While this first generation works only when you’re speaking to someone also wearing the earpiece, future generations will be updated with technology that allows you to listen to everything happening around you, rather than just the person you’re conversing with.
You can pre-order The Pilot from 25th May 2016, and purchases are first come first serve. A limited quantity will be sold for US$129, some more at US$149 and then for US$179. It’s expected to eventually retail for between US$249-299.
Delivery dates have not been confirmed although are expected to start towards the end of 2016, with some of the later orders perhaps not being delivered until early 2017. It’s first come first served, so the earlier you order, the earlier you’ll get it!
We’re intrigued…
Featured image is via Waverly Labs
