Let’s Explore Neat Prototypes That Propose Objects to Increase Self-Efficacy: 5-in-5, Part 2
I reimagined a pair of glasses to serve as a translation device.
On the second installment of this series, I thought of my mom. She left Camagüey, Cuba for the US in 1970 and despite having lived here for 50 years, she’s still a bit shaky with her English. She relied on my father, who spoke English with a perfect Queens accent, to take care of complicated tasks, such as banking, because she didn’t understand due to this limitation. When he passed away, my brother and I became her de facto translators and administrators.
I’ve prototyped a pair of glasses that would help immigrants with limited or no English knowledge by translating speech, objects, documents, and signs. A pair of glasses is less conspicuous than an ear piece and due to their form, which spans three-quarters of a person’s face, allows for a small camera in the front and a speaker close to the ear. Glasses can also be fashionable; the wearer can choose a pair that reflects their aesthetics and personality, thus becoming an extension of them.
The front of the frame would have a camera; wires in the leg link it to a microprocessor, which is also wired to the speaker. The system can be activated by voice commands; it can also be set to translate a conversation without a prompt. The camera is voice activated and can be directed to scan a sign, a document or website, or an object. All translations would be delivered in the wearer’s native language through the speaker in the glasses leg.
Creating a physical prototype
To build a physical prototype that embodies this concept, I used my own pair of glasses, a glue gun, a small lens from my found objects stash, and the end of a button clasp. I wanted to keep this simple to echo that this is an incognito device; it is a secret kept between the object and the wearer. I didn’t create an interface or do any wiring; this is purely representational.
Having a translation device that is almost invisible would be a game-changer for people like my mom; they would hopefully feel more comfortable going out into the world because they would have a better understanding of what things are and what people are saying. The ability to customize this device would help the wearer feel a connection to this beneficial object, making them. And it would definitely stop my mom from dragging me to see movies I hate just because she needs a translator.
