Studentñޙs low-cost device translates languages in front of our eyes

Milya Mohd Asyrafñޙs glasses design cost £30 ñޓ compared to the £1,000s needed to buy one on the current market
Milya Mohd Asyraf and her glasses-worn translation device

Studentñޙs low-cost device translates languages in front of our eyes

Milya Mohd Asyrafñޙs glasses design cost £30 ñޓ compared to the £1,000s needed to buy one on the current market

A ñ student has designed an affordable device that can translate spoken words into written text in real time, directly in our field of vision.
Milya Mohd Asyrafñޙs design comprises an electronic box that clips on to glasses, and translates speech into text before projecting it in front of the wearerñޙs lenses. An international student herself, she grew up in a multilingual environment and is keen the device helps more people who might be embarking on international travel and/or watching TV and films in other languages.  
Milya Mohd Asyraf's glasses
The concept itself already exists, as big tech companies have translation glasses on the market that costs £1,000s. But, keen to keep the cost accessible, Milya made hers for £30. 
The project was Milyañޙs focus for her final year studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering, which she presented at the ññޙs recent Engineering, Computing and Mathematics showcase.

ñޜMy whole inspiration behind this project is that I grew up in a multilingual environment and was always one of those people who didn't understand what everyone else was saying.

Language barriers ñޓ or even differences in accents ñޓ can make communication tricky, and many translation tools currently rely on phones, playback or expensive smart glasses that either interrupt conversations or reduce accessibility. 
My project addresses that issue by creating a wearable attachment that allows a more natural and immediate interaction, without additional features like other smart glasses that cause the high prices.

Apart from ensuring that it works, I was really keen to make it an inexpensively as I could, and the single function ñޓ translation and transcription ñޓ is what makes the product affordable.

In a world thatñޙs becoming increasingly reliant on technology, it should be accessible to everyone.



Milya Mohd Asyraf, final-year student of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

How do the glasses work?

Speech is captured through a small microphone, where an AI model translates and converts speech into written text in real time. The translated text is sent over Wi-Fi to a microcontroller board, which drives a small display. Text is then reflected through a mirror, lens and reflector ñޓ appearing like subtitles in the userñޙs field of view. 
Sustainability was also in Milyañޙs mind, as she used leftover plastic acrylic as the reflector and reused a Bluetooth microphone in the design. 
The attachment is designed for ordinary glasses, and Milya hopes to improve it further. 

Studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering, my focus is to problem solve and innovate.

At the moment, the main processor is my laptop which I ran a Python application on, in the future I would like to explore a way to have it available as an app or some sort on smartphones. 
Engineering isnñޙt just about machines and technology, itñޙs about people, and ñޓ while I need to work on the size and weight of the glasses as well before making them fully marketable ñޓ I really think itñޙs something people could benefit from.

Real-world experience 

Within her three-year course, Milya undertook a placement in the building services industry.
With little to no experience in the field, she was able to use her project management skills learnt from university and societies to excel. That skill along with many others like communication and stress management made it possible for her to complete her final-year project to such a high standard. 
Milya said: 
ñޜUniversity taught me how to learn, placement taught me how there is so much to learn. Both were valuable to my career progression.ñޝ
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