Government-backed smart glasses aim to ease dementia symptoms by guiding users through everyday tasks

A pair of extended-reality smart glasses being developed by London start-up CrossTech with government backing is designed to help people with dementia and other mental health conditions perform everyday tasks, company executives and programme documents say. The device uses computer vision and an on-board language model to identify objects, display labels in the wearer’s lenses and provide spoken, step-by-step guidance through basic activities.

The project is one of 17 awarded funding under the UK government’s Mindset programme, which has allocated £3.6 million through Innovate UK to support the development of extended-reality technologies for mental health. Developers expect prototypes to be built and tested over the next 18 months and say the devices could become available to patients within years if clinical trials demonstrate measurable benefits.

CrossTech’s glasses are designed to overlay simple text and symbols onto the real world visible through the lenses and to speak to the wearer via small speakers built into the frame’s arms. In demonstrations described by the company, looking at a kettle causes the word "kettle" to appear in the lenses and the device can warn that the water is hot, then guide the user through making a cup of tea. Developers say the system also can break down complex or overwhelming tasks into short, sequential instructions and can be used to help schedule day-to-day activities.

The glasses run a compact language model described by CrossTech’s chief executive as similar in architecture to those that power conversational agents such as ChatGPT, adapted and slimmed down to operate on a wearable device. The system is also intended to assess a wearer’s mood by analysing voice tone, language and movement, which the company says can inform the type of reassurance or instruction the device provides.

"Our goal is to help people become more capable, more functional," CrossTech CEO Szczepan Orlins said. "Ultimately the aim is to enhance independence. We believe it can empower you to be more yourself." He added that combining analysis of voice, words and movement "can provide a very powerful assessment" of how someone is feeling.

Researchers and developers emphasise that the technology must demonstrate clinical effectiveness before it can be widely adopted. CrossTech and other Mindset-funded teams face regulatory and research hurdles, including running formal trials to show that the glasses improve daily functioning, reduce safety risks and do not increase anxiety for users. The company has said it is working to reduce the size and power demands of the underlying models so that the frames remain lightweight and comfortable.

The programme aims to relieve pressure on mental health services by offering tools that can support people at home. Publicly available figures and academic estimates underline the scale of the challenge in the United Kingdom: current estimates put the number of people living with dementia at roughly 944,000, while researchers at University College London have estimated that the figure could rise to about 1.7 million in the next two decades as the population ages. Alzheimer's disease accounts for the majority of dementia diagnoses.

Mental health demand and service waits are also persistent concerns. An estimated eight million people in the UK live with anxiety, and NHS trusts report long waits for some types of care, with the longest waits for mental health services exceeding two years in some areas. Public health experts have noted links between long-term mental health conditions and increased risk of dementia, underscoring the potential value of interventions that support independent living and daily routines.

Government officials overseeing the Mindset programme have framed extended-reality tools as a way to supplement conventional care by offering real-time guidance, reassurance and practical assistance to people who might otherwise struggle to access or sustain support. Independent clinicians and disability advocates say such devices could be useful if trials confirm their safety, effectiveness and acceptability to those they are intended to help.

CrossTech and other developers funded under Mindset will present findings from development and testing phases to funders and regulators as part of the process of seeking wider clinical trials and eventual deployment. Company executives say they will prioritise proof of clinical benefit and user comfort as the project progresses.