CES Vision Tech with ReBokeh, Seleste, Matt Ater and Jim Harris
Recorded on February 23, 2023, this episode is part of our Vision Tech as well as our CES Highlights Series. Speakers are listed in their order of appearance.
Jim Harris, a leading tech pundit for CES, started us with an overview of Vision Tech at CES 2023. He noted the significance of vision as a sense and the advancements in technology, emphasizing the cost reduction of AI and machine learning, making technologies like text-to-voice more affordable and accessible.
At CES 2025 Jim moderated this impressive Predictive AI Transforming Customer Service panel: left to right: Davie Sweis, Chief Digital Officer, Global Business Services, Bosch; Mamatha Charmathi, Chief Digital Officer, Goodyear; Nicholas Parrotta, President Harman Digital Transformation Solutions Business; Alyssa Altman, North American Head of Transportation & Mobility, Retail and Consumer Products, Publicis Sapient
Steve Ewell, currently Executive Director, Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Foundation and Vice President CTA Accessibility and AgeTech introduced Matt Ater, CTA Foundation Chair in 2023 and Rebecca Rosenberg.
Matt Ater, VP, Vispero and CTA Foundation Chair
Matt Ater shared his insights from CES, highlighting various products designed to help people with vision impairments navigate their environment.
He mentioned companies like Lighthouse Tech and Bipad, which use haptics and bone conduction to assist users in identifying objects. Matt discussed the importance of optical character recognition and the need for portable, effective solutions.
Matt emphasized the variety of vision impairments and the need for tailored solutions that cater to different needs.
Blog post by Matt Ater about accessibility products at CES 2023 including Seleste and ReBokeh
Linda mentioned the Vispero website. On the home page there are useful statistics on blindness and low vision around the world. There’s also a video that includes Matt Ater, centered around Kate’s story. Matt mentioned, “As somebody who’s been blind, dealing with vision loss my whole life, the one thing I always wanted to do is play baseball, and at the end of the video, she and her dad are swinging the bat, and she’s running around the bases.”
Rebecca Rosenberg, CEO and Founder, ReBokeh Vision Technologies highlighted the success of her app, ReBokeh, which uses smartphone cameras to enhance vision, with over 10,000 users in 70 countries.
@RealRebeccaRose Instagram mentioned on show
ReBokeh Apple App link
Rebecca Rosenberg Interview with BBC click
Shubh Mittal, Founder, Seleste introduced Seleste glasses, designed for severe vision loss, which integrate AI and smartphone technology to read menus, detect objects, and provide environmental information. Seleste Smart Glasses only work with iPhone. $150 plus $49/month subscription
Some part of the discussion:
Jim Harris talked about the ubiquitous nature of smartphones and their potential to serve as assistive tools for vision impairments. He mentioned the use of smartphones for real-time translation and magnification, leveraging their built-in camera and processing power.
Rebecca Rosenberg agreed with Jim, emphasizing the importance of using existing technology rather than creating new devices.
Matt Ater emphasized the value of purpose-built assistive technology, despite the advancements in smartphone capabilities.
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Hosted by: Linda Sherman, Steve Ewell and Michael Phillips. Further info on them is in the sidebar, fifth item with a microphone symbol.
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Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman
