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NASA wants astronauts to wear smart glasses

As you might imagine, astronauts typically need to stay laser-focused on their missions -- even a brief distraction could lead to a broken part or some other crisis. They won't have to worry about keeping their eyes (and hands) on the ball if NASA has its way. It's teaming up with Osterhout Design Group to explore the use of both augmented reality and virtual reality glasses for astronauts, whether they're in space or safely on terra firma. Among the possibilities are "assisted reality" glasses that identify equipment controls or provide checklists, saving crews the hassle of checking manuals when they're rushing to fix a crucial machine. There's no timetable for when NASA expects this smart apparel to show up, but here's hoping that it's ready relatively soon.

[Image credit: NASA]