- The ‘Pilot’ is claimed to be able to translate speech like the Babel Fish
- Comprises 2 earpieces to be worn by people speaking different languages
- Will launch to translate between English, French, Spanish and Italian
- Gadget is available to pre-order from $299
If trying to order dinner or asking for directions fills you with fear due to your terrible grasp of spanish, don’t panic.
A new in-ear gadget claims to be able to translate speech instantly
The system, named the Pilot, will cost $249 and go on sale later this year.
It works through two earpieces, one worn by each person in the conversation.
It is claimed to be the first ‘smart earpiece’ capable of translating between two languages, and was shown off at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The company behind the technology, Waverly Labs, said: ‘This little wearable uses translation technology to allow two people to speak different languages but still clearly understand each other.’
It will support five languages: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, with other being added as upgrades at a later date.
It is designed to work offline so it won’t incur data charges when used overseas.
The New York- based company behind the Pilot said both wireless earpieces can be used by one person for listening to music.
The gadget was invented by Waverly Labs founder Andrew Ochoa who said he had the idea for it ‘after meeting a French girl’.
