AI-powered glasses give me independence, says blind Cheshire farmer

For the family of visually impaired chicken farmer Dave Cragg, his decision to buy AI-powered smart glasses for his 65th birthday delivered a magical moment.

"It was the first birthday - and I am 33 - [that] I have ever seen my dad be able to read a birthday card," said his eldest daughter Philippa Wilcox.

Cragg, who began losing his sight aged 10 and now has very limited peripheral vision, had initially doubted what benefit the glasses would bring. They have also proven controversial amid concerns about covert recording .

But the camera in the frames, which links to apps on his phone, has enabled Cragg from Wybunbury, Cheshire, to become "a lot more independent" than he had been in the past.

"They can really enhance your life basically," he added.

Alongside the ability to use the camera lens to read things like books and menus out loud, he can also make use of connected apps to navigate the world around him despite living with rod-cone dystrophy - a condition which affects cells in the retina .

One such app called Be My Eyes is staffed by volunteers who, via the glasses, can describe what surrounds Cragg.

"If I was looking for something and didn't know where it was, they could tell me exactly where it was," he said.

And with growing concerns around the rise and risks of AI , he said this technology was "a clear demonstration of how good and useful AI can be".

His eldest daughter Wilcox, who works alongside him on the family poultry farm as well as acting as his support worker, said the Meta glasses and AI-based apps help increase his independence.

"It's nice that he's got the option where he can do some things like reading, checking things, finding things... all of those little things we naturally do without thinking," she said.

The technology also provides peace of mind when he takes the dogs for a walk near their home or is working in the fields, Wilcox added.

"If you were living on your own as a blind person, they would be invaluable," Cragg said.

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