A new assistive technology is being trialled across the UK and France to give visually impaired people a new way to experience live events, from football games to festivals.

GiveVision has developed a virtual reality headset to help people with significant sight loss to see the action in real time, and in unprecedented detail.

The headsets are powered by a private 5G network supplied by Shared Access. This allows live camera footage from entertainment venues to be streamed to the functional part of the user's retina, enhancing their remaining vision and enabling them to experience each moment.

Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham became the latest venue to trial the headsets in July, in a world’s first for cricket.

Nine participants with varying visual impairments were able to watch The Hundred’s Midlands derby between Birmingham Phoenix and Nottingham’s Trent Rockets.

The group featured players from Birmingham Stars, a visually impaired cricket team, and Theresa Robberts, a member of the UK’s first Women’s Blind Cricket team, who said, “That was the first time I’ve seen a match live and been able to see everything.”

Joanna Liddington, Head of Operations at GiveVision, said: “This world-first in cricket meant many fans taking part in the trial could follow every ball on the pitch for the very first time while still soaking up the match-day atmosphere.

“Thanks to Edgbaston for opening their doors to innovation and championing accessibility in cricket, and to Shared Access for providing the private 5G network, we could bring GiveVision to life and make this moment possible.”

Other venues to have trialled the technology include Wimbledon, Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park, the Charléty stadium in Paris and Forward’s Festival in Bristol.

Over 2 million people in the UK live with sight loss severe enough to significantly impact their daily lives, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Only 10 visually impaired people attended Forward’s Festival in 2023, but GiveVision is hoping to break down those barriers.

The company believes the user should not have to pay anything towards the headset and that it should be up to festivals or other events to make accessibility a priority.