Aira Explorer vs SightSense AI

WHAT IS AIRA? The Aira Explorer app connects blind and low vision users with on-demand, remote, professional Visual Interpreters who provide access to visual information through your camera view, real-time location, and a specialized dashboard of tools. With one tap, connect and collaborate on tasks involving visual information, from navigating a new space to reading a menu or checking a label. Aira is a trusted, HIPAA-compliant, secure service that enhances independence on your terms. HIGHLIGHTS • Connect with a Visual Interpreter 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no reservations required • Create a free account, then make your first call from the app to unlock 60 free minutes to use throughout your first month • Enjoy free access at major retailers like Walmart, Starbucks, and Target, over 50 airports, over 50 universities, banks, museums, and more • Go hands-free with AI glasses from Meta and connect with a Visual Interpreter without holding your phone • Opt in to Build AI to support the development of Aira AI, our AI-powered Visual Interpreter • Use Access AI in-app for instant AI photo descriptions, then verify it with a Visual Interpreter for free HOW DOES AIRA WORK? Download Aira Explorer, create an account, and connect with a professional Visual Interpreter with one tap. Aira streams live video, including your GPS location, so a Visual Interpreter can see your surroundings through an integrated dashboard. Using your phone's camera, they'll support navigation, description, and narration, guided by your requests and questions. Visual Interpreters can also take and save images to your account, search the web, send messages to you via chat or email, and integrate with your Lyft account. Aira is also available on desktop or hands-free with AI glasses from Meta. ARE THERE AI FEATURES AVAILABLE? Access AI is Aira's free image chat feature. Take or upload a photo through the Access AI tab and you'll get an AI-generated description trained by the blind and low vision community. Ask follow-up questions, get a refined answer, or use Aira Verify for a free confirmation of the description by a Visual Interpreter. Popular uses include reading labels, signs, and printed menus, choosing an outfit, and reading a digital display like a thermostat. HOW CAN I GET AIRA MINUTES? Access Partners are leading organizations that give their customers, visitors, students, and employees free access to Aira. Call from an Access Partner location and the offer applies automatically, at no cost to you. To browse offers manually, open the app and tap "Browse Access Offers" to see recently used offers or those available near you. Access Partners include over 50 airports and over 50 universities nationwide, plus major retailers like Walmart, Starbucks, and Target in the U.S. Aira also runs ongoing promotions, including a daily five-minute free call, free minutes for those seeking employment, and support for small business owners. A limited-time offer provides minutes for those who opt into Build AI, our data-sharing program helping develop Aira AI, an AI-powered Visual Interpreter. Aira AI is designed to work alongside our human Visual Interpreters, expanding access and improving efficiency. Subscription plans are available when additional minutes are needed. QUESTIONS? Contact Customer Care Monday through Saturday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific time. Phone: 1-800-835-1934 Email: support@aira.io

SightSense is an AI accessibility app built for blind and low-vision users who want more than static descriptions. Unlike apps that focus mainly on identifying what’s in view, SightSense is designed for continuous, real-time spatial understanding through live audio and haptic feedback—helping you sense where things are, how far away they are, and how to orient yourself as you move. SightSense is fully compatible with built-in iPhone VoiceOver navigation, and the UI is specifically designed for use with VoiceOver. SightSense recognizes scenes, objects, signs, text, layout, and context, then communicates what’s happening using sounds and haptics. Tailor responses to your preference—from a quick summary to a detailed breakdown—and control everything with simple voice commands or gestures. Navigation Mode describes what’s around you as you move, identifying key landmarks and giving directional clock-face cues for spatial awareness. Text Mode finds and reads print, labels, QR codes, and barcodes, guiding your aim with vibration and sound cues. You can switch modes by voice, gesture, or using VoiceOver. Photo and video descriptions let you capture a moment and hear explanations or ask targeted questions about what’s in the frame. Locate Mode, first of its kind, lets you choose what you want to find—like “door,” “chair,” or “laptop”—and SightSense helps you track it down with increasingly strong haptics, audio cues, and panning audio feedback with earbuds, giving an intuitive “sonar-like” perception of location. Designed with guidance from accessibility organizations and direct feedback from blind and low-vision testers, SightSense supports VoiceOver, adapts to your environment, and includes vibration strength, verbosity, sensitivity, and audio cue controls to match your preferences. Download SightSense and explore the world through your camera lens!