Smartglasses

Smartglasses: The Future of Wearable Technology

Imagine a world where your glasses aren’t just for seeing but also for enhancing your vision with information right in front of you. That’s the promise of smartglasses, wearable computers that can overlay digital data onto your real-world view.

The Basics of Smartglasses

Smartglasses are more than just a fancy pair of glasses; they’re like having a mini-computer on your face. These devices include displays, headphones, and pose tracking capabilities to provide a seamless blend of the digital world with reality.

They use optical head-mounted displays (OHMD) or embedded wireless glasses with transparent heads-up display (HUD) overlays. This means that when you look through them, you see not just your surroundings but also information like directions, notifications, and even augmented reality content right in front of your eyes.

Applications and Uses

How can such a device be useful? Smartglasses have found their way into various fields. For instance, they’re used for lifelogging—recording every moment of the day—and activity tracking. They also support navigation, making it easier to find your way around unfamiliar places.

In healthcare, smartglasses are revolutionizing procedures. Surgeons like Dr. Phil Haslam and Dr. Sebastian Mafeld have demonstrated how Google Glass can be used in interventional radiology, improving patient safety and procedure efficiency. The first integration occurred in June 2013 with a PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) procedure by Dr. Rafael Grossmann.

These glasses aren’t just for doctors; they’re also finding their way into surgeries like liver biopsies and fistulaplasties, as seen at the Wexner Medical Center in August 2013. Even new mothers can benefit from hands-free applications that help them breastfeed more effectively.

Security and Privacy

But what about privacy? Security applications of smartglasses include body cameras with facial recognition, which can identify suspects in real-time. In healthcare, they’re used for tele-consultation during operative procedures, providing a lifeline to remote experts.

However, these devices also raise concerns. For instance, the camera on Google Glass has been criticized for its potential to record private conversations without consent. This led to some facilities banning their use before release and others due to gaming regulations. Even in countries like Russia, Ukraine, and other post-USSR nations, there are legal issues surrounding these devices.

Technological Innovations

The technology behind smartglasses is constantly evolving. Various techniques exist for see-through head-mounted displays (HMDs), including ‘Curved Mirror’ and ‘Waveguide’ based methods. These include:

• Diffractive waveguide: Uses slanted diffraction grating elements.
• Holographic waveguide: Employs 3 holographic optical elements (HOE) sandwiched together.
• Reflective waveguide: Utilizes a thick light guide with single semi-reflective mirror or curved light guide with partial-reflective segmented mirror array.
• Virtual retinal display: Draws a raster display directly onto the retina of the eye.
• The Technical Illusions castAR uses clear glass.
• A technique using a magnifying lens to focus the screen onto the eye (low cost, hobbyist-friendly).

Smart sunglasses use liquid crystal technology for dimming filters and adaptive polarization filtering. The lenses can be manufactured out of multiple adaptive cells.

User Interface Control Methods

The human-computer interface control input methods are diverse:

• Touchpad or push-buttons
• Compatible devices for remote control
• Speech recognition
• Gesture recognition and hand tracking
• Eye tracking
• Brain–computer interface
• Head tracking

Notable Products in Development or Current Use

Several notable products are currently in development or already on the market:

• Xiaomi Smart Glasses by Xiaomi
• b.g. (Beyond Glasses) by Meganesuper Co., Ltd.
• EyeTap – eye-mounted camera and head-up display (HUD)
• SixthSense – wearable AR device
• Orion – AR glasses by Meta Platforms
• Magic Leap
• Vuzix
• Microsoft HoloLens Epiphany Eyewear – smart glasses developed by Vergence Labs, a subsidiary of Snap Inc.
• Epson Moverio BT-35E, BT-40(S), BT-45C(S) – augmented reality smartglasses
• Everysight Raptor – smart glasses for cyclists
• Amazon Echo Frames – built with audio-functionality only, with Amazon Alexa virtual assistant accessible via voice command
• Ray-Ban Stories – built in a partnership with Facebook.
• Golden-i Infinity – a wearable smart screen for Android or Win10 host devices made by Kopin.
• Spectacles – sunglasses with an embedded wearable camera by Snap Inc.
• Frame – smart sunglasses from Brilliant Labs

Discontinued Products

Some notable products have been discontinued:

• Google Glass by Google
• DAQRI Smart Glasses by DAQRI
• Moverio BT-35E, BT-300, BT-350, Moverio Pro BT-2000, BT-2200 – augmented reality smartglasses by Epson
• Looxcie – ear-mounted streaming video camera
• castAR by Technical Illusions – wearable AR device for gaming
• Airscouter – virtual retinal display made by Brother Industries.

History and Market Structure

The history of smartglasses dates back to 1986 with the Synesthesia concept. By 2012, Oakley’s CEO stated they had been working on projecting information since 1997. In 2014, NBA teams used Google Glass on CrowdOptic platform, and Rhode Island Hospital experimented with Google Glass applications.

According to IHS analysis, shipments of smartglasses may rise from 50,000 units in 2012 to 6.6 million units in 2016. Forrester Research survey found that 12% of adults were willing to wear Google Glass. BI Intelligence predicts 21 million sales by 2018.

Several hardware companies, including APX Labs, are working on smartglasses with a price range of $200-$500. Apple filed a patent for an HMD device in 2006, and over 25 hardware companies are currently developing their own versions.

Conclusion

Smartglasses represent the future of wearable technology, blending the digital world with our physical reality in ways that were once only imagined. As these devices continue to evolve, they promise to transform how we interact with information and each other. The journey from concept to reality is just beginning.