Recently I wrote a post that was a quick update about Seleste discontinuing development, but did not provide enough information and I think I may have caused some confusion.
Thus, I wanted to provide a long-overdue update on Seleste, the smart glasses designed to enhance accessibility. It had scene description capabilities, text reading and you could ask the AI to continuously perform a task such as “continuously describe the scene in front of me”.
Many of you may remember my +interview from December 2023 with the creator, Shubh Mittal, and my initial thoughts on the device. At the time, Seleste was still in its early stages, and frankly, I encountered quite a few developmental hurdles.
I shared some of my experiences with my members on YouTube and Patreon, but chose not to release content to the public.
In hindsight, I realize I should have shared a progress update sooner. I chose to wait, hoping that with more time, the team would address the issues and deliver a more polished product. Unfortunately, life got busy with other projects, and I didn’t follow up as diligently as I should have.
In February of this year (2025), I reached out to Shubh for an update, and here’s what I learned. I’ve also shared screenshots with the same content that is provided in text.
My email from Feb 19, 2025
Hi Shubh,
It’s been a while and I’m reaching out to see what the current state of Seleste is and what the update is.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
Carrie Morales
Carrie on Accessibility
Shubh’s response from Feb 24, 2025
Hi Carrie,
Thanks for reaching out, it’s been a while I hope you’re doing well.
Not sure if you got the email that we sent out in the fall. Basically we weren’t able to find another piece of hardware to use for the next version of the glasses. We’re no longer actively building out the glasses but we are supporting users that have the glasses and want to continue using them.
Best,
Shubh
My Follow-Up Email from Feb 25, 2025
Hi Shubh,
So to confirm, Seleste is no longer being developed? Are you still charging customers the monthly fee?
All the best,
Carrie Morales
Carrie on Accessibility
Shubh’s Response from Feb 26, 2025
Hey Carrie,
Being fair is super important. I emailed all of our users on an active subscription saying that we aren’t going to make big updates and that there won’t be another version of the hardware coming out. If you are getting value out of the current version of the glasses you can choose to stay subscribed but otherwise you can return the glasses now or anytime you wish to. Additionally for a lot of our earlier customers that bought the glasses if they wanted to return I just let them keep and use the glasses for free if they wanted to as a thank you.
Best,
Shubh
Key Takeaways:
I’ve provided all the information that I have access to, and these are the important points based on the content of Shubh’s emails:
- Seleste development has ceased: The team encountered hardware limitations that prevented them from moving forward with a new version.
- Existing users are supported: Shubh and his team are still providing support for those who have the glasses.
- Subscriptions: Users can choose to continue their subscription if they find value in the current version or return the glasses.
- Early customers have been offered the option to keep the glasses for free as a thank you, even if they choose to return them.
If you have questions or need support, please contact Seleste. Please do not email me about this as I do not have any more information other than what I have provided here.
My Thoughts
This news was disappointing, to say the least. I don’t remember seeing an email, but I do frequently receive a lot of emails and it may be that I simply overlooked it.
I appreciate Shubh’s transparency and his commitment to treating his users fairly. I am concerned that more recent customers may not have the same information. It’s a tough situation. While it’s sad to see Seleste’s development come to an end, it’s important to remember that innovation often involves taking risks, and not all projects succeed.
To make it clear for anyone who might come across my original video interview, I’ve updated the title to include “No longer in development.” This disclaimer is also prominently featured in the video’s description and as a pinned comment. Additionally, I’ve verified that the Seleste website now displays a clear message at the top: “We have discontinued selling our glasses, sorry for any inconvenience and thank you to everyone that has supported us ❤️”
While Seleste’s journey has wrapped up, my mission to share helpful and innovative accessibility solutions is still going strong! If you want to stay in the loop, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, Carrie on Accessibility (CoA)!
You can also find me on Mastodon, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn. Plus, you can join the lively CoA Discord server where we chat all things accessibility – come join the conversation! I’d love to see you there.
Thanks for sticking with me, and I’ll keep bringing you the latest and greatest in the world of accessibility tech!