Smart Earpiece Translates Foreign Languages

Smart Earpiece Translates Foreign Languages Imagine being able to visit any foreign country without having to worry about the language barrier. Until recently, universal translating devices only existed in science fiction movies or TV shows. But technology is finally catching up with human imagination, and companies worldwide are working to introduce universal translators. Among them is New York-based company Waverly Labs. Their solution, dubbed the Pilot, is a smart earpiece that instantly translates spoken language, allowing the user to have a seamless conversation, despite not knowing the speaker’s language. Waverly Labs founder, Andrew Ochoa, said that he came up with the idea after being unable to converse with a French girl he liked. The Pilot will debut in the spring of 2017. The company provides two earpieces, one for each user. When either talks, the device in their ears picks up the sound of the speech, which then goes through a smartphone app that converts it into text, translates it into a spoken form and then “whispers” it back to the listener in his or her language. As a result, the user is able to understand the other person despite not knowing the language. The smart device also keeps out ambient noise, allowing the user to focus on the conversation. When not needed for translation, the earpieces double as earbuds that can be used to listen to music. The Pilot smartphone app can also be used as a translation phrasebook and even for conference calls, allowing participants speaking different languages to converse. Like all machine-based translators, the Pilot isn’t perfect. However, it is much more accurate than the products currently available on the market. Currently, the device is dependent on having a data connection and can only translate one-to-one conversations. Developers hope that future generations of the Pilot will be able to translate all languages that are going on around a person, and function offline. They also hope to decrease the few second delays between speech and translation. The first version of the Pilot available on iPhone and Android phones will come equipped with English, Spanish, French and Italian. More languages will be available in 2017.