Comcast announced a partnership with California-based wearable technology startup NuEyes to offer its Xfinity Stream app to visually impaired customers through NuEyes’ virtual reality technology. Xfinity Stream is pre-installed on NuEyes e2 smartglasses, allowing users with visual disabilities to see TV shows, news, movies, live sports, and more, independently.
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The NuEyes e2 is a wireless headset that can be worn for long periods of time. A camera on the front of the device can be used to visually amplify what is ahead.
“Being blind since birth, I know firsthand the power of technology to enhance independence,” said Tom Wlodkowski, Vice President of Accessibility at Comcast. “Our partnership with NuEyes is an extension of our commitment to designing great entertainment experiences for people of all abilities.”
NuEyes was founded by Mark Greget, an U.S. veteran. He’s also the CEO of the company. NuEyes’ mission is to give millions of people across the U.S. who are visually impaired the independence they may have lost due to conditions like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa, reports Business Wire.
“Collaborating with Comcast has been an absolute joy,” said Greget. “To be able to stream content directly to our consumers’ eyes in a way that has never been done before enables millions of visually impaired people to continue enjoying their TV experience and more.”
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Over the past several years, Comcast launched the industry’s first talking TV guide, introduced a voice-activated remote control, launched X1 eye control for the TV and produced the first live entertainment show in U.S. broadcast history, The Wiz Live, to be accessible to people with a visual disability. Comcast also has a service center specifically dedicated to customers with disabilities where agents are specially trained in the company’s accessibility features and general support issues.