Legato Secures $12 Million, Unveils AI Hearing Glasses for 50 Million U.S. Adults
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 26
Legato Secures $12 Million, Unveils AI Hearing Glasses for 50 Million U.S. Adults
1 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 26
Summary
$12 million in backing brought Legato out of stealth as the startup previewed Legato Frames, AI-powered hearing glasses slated to launch later this fall.
Legato is targeting mild to moderate hearing loss with eyewear that uses AI to separate voices from background noise, aiming to avoid the stigma, cost and fiddly setup of traditional hearing aids.
A dual-speaker open-ear design directs sound to the wearer while cutting leakage by 99% a few inches from the ear, and the company says the frames will cost a fraction of conventional hearing aids.
50 million U.S. adults are affected by hearing loss, yet only about 20% of diagnosed patients seek treatment, a gap Legato hopes to narrow through sales via select eye-care providers and possible vision-insurance eligibility.