Side Project · Founder, Product Designer
Web · AR
Apr 2019 - Present
Speech bubbles in real life: Blubbles is an augmented reality application that makes spoken conversations visually accessible to people with hearing impairments. Blubbles app was developed to a functional POC level, for both web platform and basic AR glasses.
Blubbles App Showcase, English subtitles available
Blubbles App Showcase, English subtitles available
As a hearing aid user, I’ve personally experienced the challenges that people with hearing impairments face in their daily lives. While hearing aids are essential tools, they often fall short in complex acoustic environments, particularly in situations with multiple speakers or significant background noise. The search for complementary solutions led me to develop this project.
The concept of Blubbles was born at a hackathon at Reichman University in April 2019. Together with a team of four developers, we developed my idea into an initial proof of concept. The core concept was simple yet powerful: transform spoken words into comic-style speech bubbles that appear naturally in the user's field of view. I later chose to expand on this development as my graduation project at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design's Visual Communication department.
These days (December 2025) I’m exploring whether, in light of advances in LLMs development, predictive transcription suggests possible directions for reducing latency between speech and on screen text. Additionally, as the AR glasses market evolves and new products appear, additional platforms for potential implementation can be explored.
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Imagine, comic speech bubbles - in face-to-face conversations
The project received positive recognition among audiologists and hearing impairments users, and was covered by Israeli media:
The Jerusalem Post
Israel's Channel 12 News
The need for improved hearing solutions extends far beyond personal experience. According to recent data, over 1.1 billion people worldwide require hearing rehabilitation, with numbers expected to grow significantly. In Israel alone, 13% of adults over 20 experience hearing difficulties, yet only 3% use hearing aids - despite these devices being fully subsidized.