HapWare

HapWare is an assistive technology company developing wearable haptic devices to make nonverbal communication accessible to people who are blind, low vision, deaf-blind, or neurodiverse. The company's flagship product ALEYE combines smart glasses with an embedded camera and an AI engine to capture facial expressions, body language, and gestures in real time, translating them into vibration patterns delivered to the user's wrist. This enables users to detect if someone is smiling, waving, extending a handshake, and more — giving them access to the social cues they would otherwise miss. Founded out of a Colorado School of Mines senior design project, HapWare participated in Techstars 2025 and exhibited at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. The company operates on the principle of 'Nothing about us without us,' with CTO and co-founder Dr. Bryan Duarte bringing lived experience as a blind individual to every design decision.