www.fastcompany.com: London’s National Theatre just took a big step toward inclusivity and accessibility, and it’s all thanks to smart glasses that look a bit like Google Glass. The glasses offer hard-of-hearing audience members live subtitles through augmented reality so they always know what witty dialogue is being bandied about by the actors on stage.
9 comments:
Providing the new glasses technology makes theatre accessible to a larger audience, thus increasing its impact. I find these smart glasses that provide subtitles to be a genius idea because they improve the experience for some without detracting from that of others. With these glasses, the design team wouldn’t have to worry about implementing projected subtitles into the production as a whole—it would simply be available to those who need it. This reminds me of the constant argument my family has when deciding whether to use closed captions when watching a film. Some want it, some don’t, and ultimately one group has to compromise. This technology eliminates that issue. The care and thought placed into these glasses produced a high cost, but if it is of high quality I believe it to be worth it. The National Theatre’s pioneering actions will hopefully inspire other theatres across Europe and the United States to take a part in this technology.
This is really incredible technology. The concept of turning spoken dialogue into text has been around a long time, with closed captioning on television and now on almost any video on the internet, but to bring it one step further to a personalized experience by wearing glasses is very special. I can see this technology being used in movie theaters, and in day to day interactions. I will say that there are in most theaters a hearing option with headphones or a way to connect hearing aids too. The price is very high, and not something that many theaters can afford, so I don't think this will become a common thing at theaters until it is very proven to work technology, people want it, and it becomes a little more affordable. I think it is a great leap in technology, and will be very useful for people who would like the captioning, and does so in a way that does not change the experience for someone else who would not like to see the text.
An article last week mentioned an app that put the subtitles on the audience members smartphones. Although I see the glasses, as a more feasible than using cellphones long term, currently smartphones may be the way to go. The glasses allowing the users to observe the action and not be tied to their cellphones, but they are extremely expensive. Also, when using cellphone, people associate it with being distracted. Audience members and performers may be annoyed by this cellphones and this technology avoids this problem. However since the glasses are very expensive, most theaters will need to rely on smartphones until then. I’m also intrigued by how the technology follows the performers live speech. This allows the performer the liberty to take there time and not worry about the captions getting ahead of behind. I wonder if any other technology in theater would benefit by this technology. There might be a future where lighting, sound, or media is controlled by the actors dialogue.
I think these glasses are a really good idea. They allow someone to view the text without looking back and forth between the words and the action, and it also means that the glasses can be available at every performance, not just a limited number of subtitled ones (though, I would argue you could subtitle all performances.) This could also be good for movie theaters. Honestly there are a lot of plays I’ve seen where I wished I had these because I sometimes have trouble following the dialogue. I usually have captions on videos I watch on my computer. I suspect a lot of people will really benefit from these for a variety of reasons, and I really hope they become standard in the near future. It definitely provides a better experience than just having captions on your phone and needing to constantly look up and down. I also hope that this inspires people to continue working to make theater more accessible for everyone.
These are absolutely amazing pieces of technology. As great as this is for the hearing impaired, the first thing I thought of was how this would or could affect me personally. I thought what if these glasses were used for opera where is could translate the show in real time for non-Italian or German speakers, which would solve to issues. First is that no one wants to read subtitles that projected on the side which takes your view away from the stage. The other issue is presenting non-English written operas in English, it just is not the same, there is just a magical anger to the Queen of the Night's Aria in German. Not only for operas but dialogue intricate plays, Shakespeare, heck I would want them for Sondheim shows too so I can understand the fast paced lyrics. As far as the cost of these glasses that is certainly a limiting factor in the availability of these to theaters, especially regional theaters, though I can see the big commercial theaters using these fairly soon. These could the new replacement for in person sign language interpreters. If live face tracking technology becomes sophisticated enough it could transfer live speeches and everyday conversations into subtitles on the glasses, one step closer to inclusion of the deaf, eliminating barriers.
This is such an incredible piece of technology, and proves that we can use the advancements of modern science to better the world, even if it is just in relatively small ways that make theatre inclusive to more people. An article from last week talked about a theatre that was using double casts to both speak and sign the play simultaneously, and mentioned the use of supertitles as well to facilitate the hearing-impaired members of their audience. They also discussed establishing the audience following along on their phones, but as this article points out, this is more obtrusive to the patron and does not allow them to follow along as closely. I think that modifying already-existing technology (Google Glass) is such a smart way to take the advancements happening in the world around theatre, and incorporate it in a way that truly helps revolutionize the way audiences experience theatre and improves upon the entire experience. I hope that with more use, the commercial price goes down, thereby making it more likely to see these glasses as a more common aspect of going to the theatre.
This is one of the moments where I am proud of the use of technology especially in theater. I commend the theater company itself for taking it upon themselves to make theater more inclusive for deaf patrons. I hope other theaters follow suit and change will happen one by one. For small regional theaters, employing the use of this technology may be a little expensive for them but I really do hope that the big theaters participate in this. The amount of thought and care put into the development of this technology is amazing. I love how they took into consideration of each theater goer. Making the experience "immersive and discreet" but not taking away from the experience of other theater patrons. I am also appreciative of the fact that it does not make it the job of the designers to make it work, but it works in real time. Like I said before, I really hope this is a trend that is passed down.
I have been seeing a number of articles about accessibility and being more inclusive in theatre and I absolutely love it. I think theatre should be open to anyone who wants to experience it, regardless of ability, and I think integrating technology like this is an amazing way to bring more people into the world of theatre. I think these glasses are a great way to include those who are deaf or hard of hearing so that they can go to any performance, not just those specially presented with subtitles. I hope that this technology catches on and continues to grow in popularity in other venues as well. The article mentions concerts, and I think this could be a great way to make those more inclusive as well, or even a way to improve the movie-going experience as well. I am all for technology like this being integrated into the everyday theatre-going experience, and I hope it continues to spread throughout the theatre community.
I think this is an amazing idea, and I'm so glad that these exist. My father is very hard of hearing, but he always wants to come see the work I'm doing. He usually leaves the theatre irritated, since he hasn't fully understood what was happening because he can't hear it. He will typically use the hearing aids provided at the theatre, but they are usually not the best quality, and sometimes they are staticky or buzzy, which complicates things for him. It would be much easier for him to just be able to read the words in front of him like subtitles. This is an excellent creation, because it allows people to be able to access theatrical subtitles without going to a special performance. I'm no expert by any means, but it seems like the majority of individuals with hearing difficulties would not automatically look into subtitled performances, since they are reserved for those who are legally deaf. However, with this addition, any theatre performance can be enjoyed to its fullest by anyone.
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