AI-Powered Subtitle Glasses Are Being Utilized at Theatrical Productions in South Korea

New AI glasses are being used in theatres in South Korea to provide live subtitled for non-Korean speakers, The Korea Times reports.

The technology is now available to audiences at several venues, including the current Seoul production of “Kinky Boots”, which is now playing at the Charlotte Theater in the Songpa district. The devices are allowing audiences to read translated dialogue directly on the lenses while watching the performance on stage.

Korean theatres had previously relied on fixed subtitle screens placed beside the stage. These were mainly to provide Korean captions for foreign-language productions, while English subtitles for Korean-language shows have been rare.

Audience members rent the devices at the theater, for a fee of 15,000 won, or about $10, per performance. The service currently offers subtitles in English, Japanese and Chinese, including both simplified and traditional Chinese, as well as Korean.

The glasses are operated through a dedicated smartphone that is provided with the rental kit, and includes a power bank and accessories. Viewers can adjust font size, brightness and caption placement. A future update is expected to allow users to operate the system using their own smartphones.

Other productions utilizing this new technology include long-running play “Finding Kim Jong-wook” in the Daehangno theater district and musicals such as “Rachmaninoff,” “Vamp x Hunter,” “Amadeus,” “Behind the Moon” and “Man in Hanbok.”

Read the original story on The Korea Times.