This solution is aligned with feature 47 “Universal accessibility” of the Smart Tourism Destination Platform.

According to the World Health Organization, there are 466 million deaf people in the world in addition to millions of young people who are at risk of becoming hard of hearing at an earlier age due to the misuse of headphones, damage caused at sporting events, nightclubs… as well as being at risk of going completely deaf earlier than they would have otherwise.

This is combined with the fact that a third of the population aged over 65 suffers from a crippling loss of hearing, generating a scenario in which it is estimated that in 2050 there will be more than 900 million people considered hard of hearing in the world.

Telefónica’s hearing accessibility solution is a system that, through devices installed in the building, is capable of recognising relevant sounds from the environment (e.g. a fire alarm, a beep for a health service or a citizen service office, warnings of closing doors or services or personalised notifications) and translate them into visual and sensory alerts on any device, both common to the space (smart lighting that is installed in the building) and personal (mobile, smartwatch or smartband). For building workers, they usually recommend smart bracelets so that the notification arrives directly regardless of where they are in the building.

For workers in buildings, we usually recommend smart bracelets so that the notification reaches them directly no matter where they are in the building.

The system works locally, to fully guarantee that no audio can leave the building, nor be heard by anyone. Sounds rather than voices are recognised. Once the sound has been recognised, the system itself is responsible for eliminating it so that no one has access to it. It has the approval of the Spanish data protection agency (AEGPD) and is included in the GVA’s Guide to success stories of ethical use of AI in the tourism sector.