US start-up’s in-ear device translates languages in real time

A New York City-based startup Waverly Labs is set to start taking pre-orders for a tiny device, which translates in real time.

The wearable device, called the Pilot, for use by two people, translates in real time as they speak, right into each other's ear.

Waverly Labs describes the device online, as a smart earpiece language translator that connects to an app for downloading and toggling languages. For starters, it would translate among French, Spanish, Italian, and English before expanding to others.

Waverly Labs' founder Andrew Ochoa's goal is ultimately to make a version that could translate everything happening around one in a foreign country, the Telegraph reported.

The company would accept pre-orders via Indiegogo soon for the earpiece, which is being offered in three colours and is expected to retail for around $300 when it hits the market by spring 2017. A mobile app would be  released this summer.

According to Waverly Labs, the earpieces would work overseas and offline  -huge advantages for travellers who need to communicate in areas that do not have internet access.

Smartphones can now translate in real time much better with various apps and Skype can translate between callers, but the in-ear device according to commentators was a more elegant solution.

While, at launch, Pilot would be capable of translating between English, French, Italian and Spanish, the start-up plans to add support for African, Arabic, East Asian, Hindi, Semitic and Slavic at a later date.

Waverly hopes to ship the device in Q3 2016 for between $249-$299, with a pre-order crowdfunding campaign set to launch 25 May. People who register as "early bird" have the chance to get a Pilot for between $129 and $179.

Waverly Labs has warned, however, that  additional testing, manufacturing and production times might push the launch back to spring 2017.