Dior's frame-maker is developing mood-assessing smartglasses

The Italian company that makes frames for Dior, Fendi and Hugo Boss eyewear is working on something more high-tech than it's used to: a pair of smartglasses. According to Bloomberg, Safilo Group SpA spent the past year developing internet-connected glasses with the intention of debuting it at CES 2017. The pair will reportedly be more like Snap's Spectacles than Google Glass -- a device that looks just like any eyewear out there with some "smart" capabilities.

When we say "some," we actually mean just one: Safilo's device doesn't have a camera, a display or even a microphone. What it does have are five sensors embedded behind the ears and on the nose bridge that can measure brainwaves. It then sends the results to an app to help you assess your state of mind and help you relax and meditate. The company is reportedly working with Toronto startup InteraXon to create the pair, which has the same feature as the Canadian brand's flagship product, the Muse Headband.

Safilo chief Luisa Delgado believes its product is fashionable enough to appeal to more people than Google Glass did. Further, this is probably just the beginning of the company's foray into the smartglass market. If it sells enough units, it will likely develop more models with other features. Bloomberg says Safilo's technology will first be available as a pair of mood-assessing shades to be sold online in the US by summer 2017. It could eventually make its way to prescription glasses and even to eyewear sold by Dior and other companies that use Safilo's frames.