National Theatre on London's South Bank, has teamed up with Accenture to create augmented reality (AR) glasses to broadcast subtitles to viewers during its productions. Smart caption glasses refocus the action for deaf playgoers.

Developed by Japanese technology firm Epson, the glasses use software to display captions that are synchronized with the actors' performances. They are available for hire at the theater from Wednesday.

Susan Daniels, CEO of the National Deaf Children's Society, who has been profoundly deaf since the age of four, described the initiative as “a positive step in the right direction”.