Smart glasses help return visually impaired soldiers to the workforce

FORT BRAGG (WTVD) -- We've all heard the saying that "robots are taking over the workforce" but thanks to new technology, it's actually putting people, including our wounded warriors, back to work.

"It's hard to find employers that want a 21-year-old kid that can't hear; it's hard to find an employer who has VA appointments nonstop," said Former Spc. Kevin Garland.

For years, Garland struggled to find a job after he was injured in combat in 2009.

"I lost all hearing in one ear, and I lost 70 percent in the other ear and with my vision, I have about 30 percent vision left," Garland explained.

But today, Kevin's sight and hearing are better than ever.

That's because he's the first wounded warrior to get his hands on a pair of smart glasses.

The Bluetooth equipped device can read more than 150 languages, see and scan colors, identify 16 billion objects, and even detect moods on faces.

"It's that computer in your pocket, said COO of Vuzix, Paul Boris. "It's that watch on your wrist, now it's in your eyepiece."

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App

It's a prototype years in the making as Vuzix and CyberTimez teamed up to develop a device that will vastly improve workplace productivity.

For Garland, the best part about the glasses is that he can finally bond with his son.

"The magnification on this is my biggest use," Garland explained. "It can go up to 15 times magnification. So, being able to sit there and watch TV with my son ... I can see better than him now."

According to the Wounded Warrior Battalion on Fort Bragg, 22 veterans commit suicide every day because they have no hope.

But its products like the new smart glasses that help give our heroes a second chance.

"Products like the Cyber Eyez give them the encouragement and excitement they need to be able to come back to work and continue serving their country either on a military base or at another company," said Dr. David Godbold of the Wounded Warrior Program.

The smart glasses are available right now in the public marketplace.

The Wounded Warrior Battalion hopes to distribute them to all visually impaired wounded service members at no cost to them.