In early January 2026, the CES 2026 Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Foundation Health Innovation Challenge took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. At this exclusive event, thousands of attendees from around the world came together to meet other creators, visionaries, business leaders, and like-minded individuals to share and discover what innovative technologies are in the works that are designed to help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.
The CTA Foundation Innovation’s theme for 2026 was "Digital Health for All.” The competition encouraged consumer technology companies from around the world to apply and present a unique product that will help solve barriers and challenges affecting individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities when accessing digital health care.
The CTA Foundation Health Innovation Challenge
Ability Central was one of the prize sponsors of this year’s competition. And the CES 2026 winner of the CTA Health Innovation Challenge earned a prize of $25,000, which went to HapWare, a small private company founded in 2025. HapWare presented their assistive communication technology device called ALEYE, which is designed and built for blind, low vision, deaf-blind, and neurodiverse individuals.
HapWare’s CEO and Co-founder, Jack Walters, who is excited about what HapWare has to offer, states “HapWare is on a mission to empower the intellectual and developmental disability blind community” with the introduction and use of ALEYE.
About HapWare and Its Product
As a company, HapWare aims to empower communication through innovation, with a mission “to make the world more accessible through technology.”
HapWare's innovative accessibility product ALEYE is a wearable device, much like a smartwatch, that the individual can wear comfortably on their wrist, coupled with the use of smart glasses, and work together with unique codes that deliver cues. ALEYE is “made to be worn every day” to help translate nonverbal communication cues into real time haptic feedback for the user.
Haptic feedback means that the technology stimulates the sense of touch to communicate sensations or feelings through forces, vibrations, or motions to the individual. In a basic sense, it engages the user’s tactile senses and allows the individual to experience what they are seeing, hearing, or interactive with through tactile touch.
How does ALEYE Work?
In order to use ALEYE, the user must wear smart glasses. HapWare says their ALEYE technology works with Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which is required but is not included as part of HapWare’s product lineup. HapWare is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta or Ray-Ban.
These Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses can be purchased wherever they are sold. If possible, try to find deals or check to see if your insurance will cover them through your eye doctor. The Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses could be an initial upfront investment if you do not already own a pair, but they are necessary to successfully use ALEYE.
HapWare explains that the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses connect with HapWare’s custom algorithms and can detect facial expressions, body language, and hand gestures. Each cue is mapped to a distinct haptic pattern and then delivered in real time to the ALEYE wristband.
In addition, the ALEYE mobile app, a subscription that requires a Meta AI account, allows the individual to further customize and create a more relevant and personalized user experience. The mobile app requires at least an iPhone 13 model or newer that is running IOS 17 or newer.
A Brief History of ALEYE
According to HapWare’s Our Story page, the concept of ALEYE originated as a senior design project that was made possible through the support of a government grant.
At first, the ALEYE prototype recognized only 3 emotions: happy, angry, and neutral. With user feedback, HapWare improved its ALEYE technology to include more comfort and enhance the real-time.
What’s more? The ALEYE technology is co-designed by Dr Bryan Duarte, who is blind and already brings a lived experience to both the technology and to HapWare. So HapWare truly understands the needs of the consumers they want to help.
How Does ALEYE Help You?
The ALEYE technology can be used in just about any setting you can think: school, work, or at home.
On HapWare’s website, shared personal testimonies convey how life changing ALEYE is for them. One user named David, who is blind, states “it began to restore a once long-lost depth of everyday communication.”
Walters further confirms that HapWare is “already seeing great progress in how our product, ALEYE, is helloing these communities in their profession, personal, and educational environments.” In addition, Walters says they “hear from community members and caregivers how important it is to know when someone is happy, upset, or waving their hands in excitement.”
Availability & Pricing (as shared by HapWare)
HapWare plans to begin shipping ALEYE in late 2026. The company currently offers preorder options for the device alone ($359) or a device + 12-month app subscription bundle ($637). HapWare notes that preorders are refundable prior to shipment, and readers can follow HapWare’s website or social channels for updates.
Looking Ahead
As HapWare continues developing ALEYE toward its late-2026 launch, the biggest takeaway is the momentum behind accessibility when it’s shaped with real community input. Innovations like this matter most when they’re built alongside blind, low vision, deaf-blind, and neurodiverse individuals—and when families, caregivers, clinicians, and disability advocates help guide what “useful” looks like in everyday life.
Ability Central is proud to help spotlight and support efforts that move digital health and communication access forward, with the disability community at the center.
Want to support more work like this? Explore Abilty Central’s homepage and consider a donation.
Additional Information
The content provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for legal, medical, or other professional advice. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date resources, some information may become outdated or incomplete. Always consult with your provider about personal medical concerns.
