Smart glasses that turn silent speech into text cost $499

A young startup called The Subvocal Company has opened preorders for smart glasses that turn silent speech into text. You do not talk or type. The Early Bird price is $499, against a $699 list price. A refundable $199 deposit holds a pair. Shipping is US only, planned for early 2027, and depends on FCC approval.

What it does

The frames carry a small radar. Radio signals pass across the face, and the muscles used to form words change how the signals bounce back. An AI model, which is software trained to spot patterns, turns those changes into text. The company says no cameras are involved, so there is no video and no lip reading.

The idea is called subvocalization. When you silently read or form a sentence in your head, your tongue, lips and throat move very slightly. The glasses try to read that. Labs have shown this for years, but nobody has shipped it in a consumer product yet.

Subvocal claims more than 200 words per minute. That figure comes from its own prototypes, and each user will need a short calibration. The preorder page also says final specifications are still being defined.

The price and the fine print

• Early Bird price is $499. List price is $699.
• The $199 deposit is refundable before the balance is due. The remaining $300 comes later.
• Refunds start within seven business days. The reservation runs through Stripe, so no account is needed.
• Taxes, shipping and prescription lenses cost extra. No figures are given.
• Dealroom, quoting the launch post, mentions a first batch of just 100 pairs.

Who is behind it

The founders are two Georgia Tech computer science students, Aarush Yadav (chief executive) and Arnav Kumar. The project began in February 2026 at Stanford's TreeHacks hackathon, where it did not win. Afore Capital wrote a $500,000 first check in April. The pre-seed round, announced September 30, comes to about $1.3 million and includes a $500,000 commitment from Y Combinator.

How it compares

Similar ideas exist. Cornell showed EchoSpeech in 2023, using inaudible sound, with accuracy around 95% on silent commands. It was an academic prototype. Apple bought a startup called Q.ai in late January 2026, which works in the same field with light. The price was reported as $1.6 billion but never confirmed. Subvocal uses radio waves instead.

The no-camera design may matter most. Camera glasses have drawn pushback from regulators and ordinary people. Meta's Ray-Ban Display costs 899 euros in Italy, but Meta sells a finished device. Subvocal sells a promise of delivery.

What is not known yet

Preorders are US only. The company gives no date for other countries and no list of supported languages. Final specs, extra costs and FCC approval are all open. Anyone tempted by the idea should wait for real reviews before paying, even a refundable deposit.