XRAI, a developer of captioning glasses, has created AI-powered ‘smart glasses’ capable of producing live subtitles in 223 languages. The glasses were conceived by Het Nationale Theater, the main theatre company in The Hague, a city in the Netherlands, and then developed over several years in collaboration with XRAI, using Dante technology.
In the first use of the glasses, at the internationally renowned Holland Festival of art and culture in Amsterdam in June, non-Dutch speakers and people with hearing loss were able to read via the glasses the spoken text of the actors as subtitles in their preferred language, while watching The Seasons, a theatrical production by Het Nationale Theater based on the books by Scottish author Ali Smith.
The subtitles are generated directly from the actors’ voices, according to XRAI. The sound (spoken or sung) is transmitted via each actor’s individual microphone to the audio mixing console and then to the software. The software converts the spoken words into real-time text – translated if necessary – and sends it directly to the smart glasses worn by the audience. The text is designed to appear at the same visual distance as the actors on stage. Different colours are used to indicate which character is speaking.
XRAI says the development of its ‘LiveText’ feature allows subtitles to be generated in 223 languages on demand, including those with different reading directions, characters or alphabets.
Although initially developed for theatre, the company believes the technology has broader potential applications, such as multilingual conferences or international live events.
Dan Scarfe, CEO and founder of XRAI, said: “Partnering with Het Nationale Theater to bring LiveText to life has been an extraordinary milestone for us. Seeing our AI and smart glasses used in such a creative and meaningful way shows the true power of inclusive technology. With the integration of Dante by Audinate, we’ve been able to ensure audio precision and reliability at a professional theatre level – making seamless, multilingual live subtitling not just possible, but beautifully effortless. This project exemplifies how innovation, when paired with purpose, can break barriers and open doors for everyone.”
Cees Debets, managing director of Het Nationale Theater, added: “We’re proud to have launched our world-first innovation, LiveText, at the internationally renowned Holland Festival. It marks a major step toward making theatre truly accessible to all. The National Theatre actively shares the knowledge behind this innovation with theatres and producers both in the Netherlands and abroad. The broader its adoption across the industry, the more people can enjoy the performing arts without barriers.”
One visitor, named John Retel Helmrich, commented: “I am very enthusiastic and positive about the glasses, especially about the speed and accuracy of the subtitles. As someone who is severely hard of hearing and a great lover of theatre, this is the first time I’ve felt like I’ve truly experienced a play in its entirety. I’m absolutely delighted with this discovery.”
