UK-backed smart glasses aim to reduce dementia symptoms by overlaying guidance and prompts

A London start-up is developing extended-reality smart glasses that its backers say could help people with dementia perform everyday tasks and provide real-time support for mental health needs. The project, one of 17 awarded funding under the UK government’s Mindset programme, is being advanced with backing from Innovate UK and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

CrossTech, the company behind the prototype, says the glasses combine object recognition with an AI language model to overlay names and instructions onto the wearer’s view and to provide spoken, step-by-step guidance through routine activities. Developers say the device can, for example, identify a kettle, display its name in the lenses and warn the wearer that the water is hot while guiding them through making a cup of tea. The team also plans features to help people with anxiety by offering reassurance and prompts to attend appointments or keep social commitments.

Szczepan Orlins, CrossTech’s chief executive, said the primary aim is to increase independence and functional capability for users rather than replace human care. "Our goal is to help people become more capable, more functional. Ultimately the aim is to enhance independence. We believe it can empower you to be more yourself," he said. The developers say the system will analyse speech, tone and movement to assess mood and tailor responses.

The Mindset programme has allocated about £3.6 million to projects exploring extended-reality interventions for mental health. CrossTech’s project and other funded efforts are scheduled for development and testing over the next 18 months, with firms expected to demonstrate measurable clinical benefits before any product reaches patients.

CrossTech says the glasses use a language model similar to those that power widely used conversational AI systems to translate complex instructions into simple, sequenced steps and to manage scheduling tasks. The company is working to reduce computational demands so the hardware can be lightweight and comfortable, a priority aimed at avoiding increased anxiety from wearing conspicuous or heavy devices.

Public health bodies and researchers have highlighted growing demand for services to support people with dementia and mental health conditions. Current estimates vary, with roughly 900,000 to 944,000 people in the UK living with dementia and University College London projecting that number could rise to about 1.7 million within two decades as the population ages. The Institute for Government has reported that nearly 100,000 adults in England have been denied publicly funded social care because of budget constraints. Separately, health analysts estimate that around 8 million people in the UK live with anxiety-related conditions, and waiting times for some mental health services have extended beyond two years in parts of the country.

CrossTech and other developers say extended-reality tools could relieve strain on overstretched services by enabling safer, more independent living at home and by offering on-demand reassurance and guidance. The company stresses, however, that clinical validation is essential. Trials will be required to measure how well the glasses reduce hazardous errors, improve task completion and affect quality of life compared with existing supports.

Engineers face several technical and practical challenges before the devices could become widely available. On the technical side, running powerful language models and real-time computer vision on battery-powered wearable hardware requires further optimisation to balance performance and comfort. On the practical side, researchers will need to establish data-protection safeguards, clinical efficacy, and user acceptability, particularly for people with cognitive impairment who may be sensitive to novel sensory inputs and social stigma.

Regulators and funders overseeing the Mindset programme have said they expect the projects to prioritise robust evaluation and user-centred design. If trials show clear benefits and manufacturers address safety, privacy and usability concerns, proponents say the technology could become one of several tools to support people with dementia and mental health conditions in coming years.

CrossTech’s developers caution that a commercially available product will depend on the outcomes of planned testing and regulatory review. They expect iterative pilot studies to inform hardware and software revisions and say they will work with clinicians and caregivers to evaluate the glasses in real-world home settings.

For now, the project remains in development as part of a broader government effort to test whether extended-reality technologies can augment existing care pathways and reduce the burden on health and social services as prevalence of dementia and mental health needs rises.