Smart glasses refer to wearable computing devices that add information to what the user sees. These devices function in a way similar to mobile phones and tablets and have the ability of processing and implementing various programs and applications. A majority of the smart glasses currently used in the market are embedded with touch and voice command features. The big advantage with the data glasses, is that the wearer’s hands are free – in contrast, a smartphone has to be held in the hand. This could be advantageous for anyone from mechanics reading assembly instructions to cyclists following projected navigation arrows as they travel across the country.
The first data glass was introduced by Google, when it started selling a prototype of Google glass to qualified “Glass Explorers” in the US on April 15,2013, for a limited period for $1,500, before it became available to the public on May 15, 2014. In January 15, 2015, Google announced that it would stop producing the Google Glass prototype but remained committed to the development of the product.
The FCC’s website has new high-resolution images of Google Glass 2.0, and there’s a number of subtle changes between the original version and the new model. According to reports Glass 2.0 will be called Google Glass Enterprise Edition, would be fold able making it easier to carry in pocket, durable, rugged build along with a waterproof design and with a Wearable Battery Pack. It will be powered by new Intel processor, which is set to improve not only overall performance but offer better heat management. The speaker is now internal (no more bone conduction), reports that the power button has moved to the back. On the connectivity front, the filing reveals there’ll now be 5GHz Wi-Fi band support allowing users to stream video applications.
Other companies also joined in fray of making smart glasses, making Magic Leap released its developer edition glasses , and now we have the nReal Light glasses to look forward to in 2019. Apple has partnered with German lens and optics manufacturer Carl Zeiss AG on a new pair of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses. It’s price is not disclosed, however its competitors Google priced its failed “Glass” product at over £1,000, while Snapchat is currently selling its “Spectacles” in the US for $130 (£100). Recently leaked information includes the fact that they’re going to offer built-in 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) tracking. That means they’ll not only work out which way your head is pointing, they’ll be able to track it as it moves forwards, backwards, up and down through space.
In Jan 2019 the Mojo Vision, a startup unveiled a smart contact lens which delivers an augmented reality display in a user’s field of vision. The contact lens offers a display with information and notifications, and allows the user to interact by focusing on certain points. The rigid contact lens, which the company has been developing in stealth mode for some 10 years, may also be used to help people with visual impairments by using enhanced image overlays, and has obtained US approval for testing it as a medical device.
“Mojo has a vision for invisible computing where you have the information you want when you want it and are not bombarded or distracted by data when you don’t,” said chief executive Drew Perkins. In a demonstration to an AFP reporter, company executives showed how the contact lens could enable users to see a virtual teleprompter, navigation instructions or other interactions that appear floating in the field of vision by projecting a micro-LED display to the retina. A user, wearing two lenses which may be fitted with a correction prescription, could “click” by concentrating on an icon—to launch a music player, for example—and turn off by looking away. Mojo said it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration as a “breakthrough” device to test the contact lens to help people with visual impairments such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa.
The company said the contact lens is designed to provide overlays that augment sight for people with “low vision” and may assist in mobility, reading and other functions. The contact lens aims to enable people to move away from physical devices and interact more naturally with technology. It also could have business applications, allowing workers or specialists access to real-time information in their field of vision without a bulky headset.
A challenge has been to pack into the lens the complex circuitry, image sensor, wireless radio and battery needed for the wearable device. Executives said the current version would transmit and receive information wirelessly through a portable relay box which could be clipped to a belt, but they hope to link directly to smartphones in the future.
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