Vuzix and KDDI launch face biometrics smart glasses for nursing care

Nursing care facilities can soon deploy face biometrics and speech synthesis technology for touchless care thanks to a recent partnership between wearable-maker Vuzix and telecom operator KDDI’s R&D institute, KDDI Research. Vuzix announced that KDDI Research has created a smart support system for use with Vuzix Smart-Glasses that can be deployed in nursing care facilities.

The partnership gives nursing homes that use the Vuzix and KDDI’s integrated solution face biometrics and speech synthesis capabilities allowing care staff to access resident information instantly to provide timely care and take any further steps necessary. KDDI Research developed the support system together with Tokyo-based social welfare organization Zenkokai.

Before the official rollout, Zenkokai nursing homes ran a successful trial of the new solution from October to December 2020. According to Vuzix, the solution will meet the emerging needs of the nursing care industry, which is facing relatively high turnover rates and a shortage of labor. The new solution will also provide easy resident identification even if an individual is not carrying an ID tag.

“Healthcare opportunities continue to steadily expand for Vuzix around the globe and this smart nursing care support system developed by KDDI Research in conjunction with Zenkokai is yet another example of how using smart glasses can make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Vuzix President and CEO Paul Travers. “We look forward to working with KDDI Research in their effort to bring greater safety, efficiency and productivity to the nursing home industry.”

Vuzix raised more than $11 million last year and identified telemedicine as a potential market opportunity for its biometrics-enabled glasses.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  healthcare  |  patient identification  |  smart glasses  |  Vuzix  |  wearables