Informance shades give athletes a heads-up display

For every gimmicky workout product that comes along like the push-up counter or talking grip master, there's also one such as the Nike+iPod or Entertrainer which actually seem to prove useful or motivational. Well you can add the upcoming Informance sunglasses from German lenscrafter Rodenstock to that list, which take your regular sports shades and tack on a tiny LED display that shows stopwatch or pulse data from a wirelessly-linked watch. Developed in cooperation with the UK's Cambridge Consultants, the display projects a 160 x 120 pixel image through a wedge-shaped prism, occupying 12% of the left eye's field of view in a reportedly unobtrusive manner when peering straight ahead. Look for actual products to hit the market sometime in 2009, for an estimated €700 to €1.000 ($990 to $1,400).

[Jason @ Oct 19th 2007 10:46AM]

A THOUSAND DOLLARS!?!!?!

Here's a B&W one you can make yourself for $25

http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/10/supercheap_headmounted_vi.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

[DickHardknocks @ Oct 19th 2007 10:50AM]

I've been waiting for these man...

Now I can easily see how many bubble shields, grenades and plasma charges I have left.

Seriously though, All this needs is to be hooked to a pedometer, a heartrate monitor and GPS nav system and you would then qualify as a CYBORG.

[DarkAardvark @ Oct 19th 2007 11:31AM]

i want to be a cyborg!!

[DarkAardvark @ Oct 19th 2007 4:24PM]

yeah, but i want to be a cyborg with almost all mechanical parts so i can jump around town like the guy in Crackdown. maybe when im 80 years old ill do it =D

[Grant @ Oct 19th 2007 10:58AM]

$1440!!!
I'll take Three!

[Martin @ Oct 19th 2007 11:00AM]

mmhm

[Demo @ Oct 19th 2007 11:03AM]

Pretty cool, but does it tell power levels?
IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAND!

[John @ Oct 19th 2007 11:17AM]

Oh yeah?!? Well, our power levels are above TWO MILLION!!!

[DickHardknocks @ Oct 19th 2007 11:57AM]

by definition, humans are ALREADY Cyborgs because we rely on technology to keep us alive (i.e. clothing).

A typical cyborg might be someone with a pacemaker, dialisis device or other implant.

[nutbastard @ Oct 19th 2007 11:55AM]

LCD, not LED, doofus. An LED display of 160 X 120 would be way to big for heads up.

[DickHardknocks @ Oct 19th 2007 11:59AM]

It is possible it could be an LED simply because the image is getting routed through prismatic reflection.

[jon @ Oct 19th 2007 12:28PM]

NO U. there are small LED displays now. isn't technology amazing? try googling OLED, for example.

[Justin @ Oct 19th 2007 8:42PM]

So uh, what exactly qualifies you as a genius? As jon said, go look up OLED.

[Golferal @ Oct 19th 2007 2:03PM]

But can you play Doom on it?

[Steve C @ Oct 19th 2007 3:22PM]

yes. yes you can.

...


well, YOU can't, but everyone else can. Sorry, the minimum system requirements for Doom exceed your mental capacity.

[Golferal @ Oct 19th 2007 6:03PM]

Dude, why the hate?

[rockintom @ Oct 22nd 2007 7:44AM]

Because it is a boring old meme. Just let it die already, or at least make it a bit more clever in *some* way.

[yikeouch @ Oct 19th 2007 5:18PM]

It makes me recall the old Jap comic Dragon Ball....

[Robert Anastasio @ Oct 19th 2007 5:19PM]

I was an early adopter of heart rate montitors and the Nike pedimeter so I am totally into this. I think they should add "total distance run" and "current pace" to the display to truly make it cool. Of course, all that data that might cause some problems seeing the road but it would be worth it.

[J @ Oct 19th 2007 9:45PM]

Maybe they can hook it up to put the number of outs in forgetful baseball players Heads Up Display....