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Oakley and Intel's sunglasses put a personal trainer in your ears
Running can be a pretty lonely sport, but you may soon get a companion that's always ready to go. Oakley and Intel have teamed up to create a sunglasses-smart-earbuds hybrid that will tell you how you're doing during your run or bike ride. The Oakley Radar Pace will be available Oct. 1st for $449. I tried out a preview unit and, even though I'm not a serious runner, I'm actually really excited about what the device can do.
Level is a pair of glasses that doubles as an activity tracker
Last year, VSP, the nation's largest vision care provider, unveiled what it thinks is the eyewear of the future. It's called Project Genesis and it comes from The Shop, a thinktank innovation lab within VSP. Project Genesis is essentially a pair of glasses with a slew of activity tracking sensors built into the temple. The idea here is that it's a lot easier to remember to put on your glasses -- which is what many people need to wear everyday anyway -- versus something like a Fitbit. And sensor-laden eyewear offers other potential metrics too, like gait and posture. Now, VSP is ready to take the next step. Starting this Saturday, it's partnering with University of Southern California's Center of Body Computing to conduct a four-month long pilot study of the glasses with hundreds of volunteers. Oh, and the hardware has also been completely reimagined into something much more consumer-friendly. Say hello to the Level.
The US Olympic cycling team is training with smart glasses
When the US cycling team heads to the Olympics in Rio this summer, it'll have an ace up its sleeve: training with smart glasses. Solos has worked with the team to create augmented reality glasses that show vital data in mid-ride (such as cadence and heart rate), making it ideal for athletes looking to push themselves a little harder. It talks to common cycling apps, too, such as MapMyRide, Strava and TrainingPeaks. However, the best part may be the availability -- Solos is running a crowdfunding campaign to get everyday cyclists using the eyewear.
These smart glasses became my erratic personal trainer
Fitness wearables don't have to go on your wrist -- although it makes sense that most of them are designed that way. We've been wearing wristwatches for generations, so it's a place where we're used to tethering something. But how about the original wearable: eyewear? JINS Meme is a pair of unassuming smartglasses that have highly sensitive three-axis gyroscopes and accelerometers inside. And because they're situated on your head, the Japanese eyewear company says it can offer insight into your posture and balance and pinpoint weaknesses. To help you with all of the above, JINS recently launched a core-training application ("taikan") to complement its existing running-coach app. It tests your core strength (think: abs, back, abductors, butt, etc.) and offers a live critique on how you're doing. Here's how training went.
How an insurance company is trying to craft eyewear of the future
I had just driven 85 miles north of San Francisco when I finally reached my destination: a bright red building with large floor-to-ceiling windows in downtown Sacramento. The structure's high ceilings and spacious interior gave a subtle reminder that it used to be a former Chevrolet dealership. But instead of Camaros and Corvettes, the space was filled with desks, project boards adorned with Post-it notes and temporary work spaces separated by flexible cardboard walls. A hanging pirate flag and a Rubik's Cube sculpture lent the office a startup vibe.
Can a head-worn fitness device work? Recon seems to think so
Long before Google had ever uttered the word glass, Recon Instruments was rising to prominence with a head-worn display designed for snow sports. You'd be forgiven for not knowing the name, since the technology was buried inside expensive sets of ski goggles like Oakley's Airwave. Then, the company announced that a new product for cyclists and runners would arrive, this time branded under its own name. Few outside the running/cycling community paid attention to the Recon Jet, since they were all distracted by Google's rival. Two years later, and Glass has been pulled from the market in the hope that Tony Fadell can turn it into a device people want to buy. As such, the road is clear for Recon's fitness-oriented wearable, but can this small Canadian company succeed where Google failed? Earlier this year, I sat down with the company's Tom Fowler and a nearly finished prototype of the final hardware to find out.
Sony's head-mounted display will turn spectacles into smart glasses
It's no secret that Sony's been working on a sort of Google Glass analog, but the fact that the company's also got a bolt-on display that can (ideally) turn any pair of glasses into a savvy wearable is nothing short of impressive. After Sony wrapped up this year's CES press conference, we got the chance to yank a pair out of some poor spokesperson's hands and strap them on for ourselves. Long story short: Sony just might have a winner on its hands.
Google strikes smart contact lens deal to track diabetes and fix farsightedness
With Glass and Android Wear, Google has already invested a lot of time and resources into developing the next-generation of wearables, but it's another of its eye-focused projects that has today received its first major boost. The search giant's secret Google[x] team has confirmed that it's licensed its smart eyewear to healthcare specialist Novartis, which will develop the technology into a product that can improve eye care and help manage diseases and conditions.
'Wearable eyes' take all the work out of having emotions
Ever seen one of those funny novelty spectacles with eyes drawn on them? Dr. Hirotaka Osawa from Tsukuba University in Japan has designed a high-tech version of those called AgencyGlass, and they have eyes that actually move. The digital eyes blink when you nod or shake your head, look up when you tilt your head down and (best of all) it stays open even while you doze off, all thanks to a gyroscope and an accelerometer that detects head movement. That's not all they can do, though -- the eyes also automatically look up when the system determines that a person is looking at you, as taken by the accompanying camera. In fact, Osawa designed the bizarre smartglasses for that purpose: to make you look friendlier and less socially awkward than you actually are.
Vuzix plans to make smart sunglasses you'd actually like to wear
Although smart sunglasses exist (like Recon's above), they're seldom pretty by the usual standards -- you won't impress many people at the beach. If Vuzix has its way, though, these shades will be as fashionable as the eyewear from your favorite label. It has just reached a deal with an unnamed major electronics company that could lead to smart glasses that look just as good as "designer sunglasses;" see-through waveguide optics would keep the display relatively subtle. Just don't hold off on buying any traditional gear in the meantime. Vuzix doesn't expect to build prototypes before 2015, let alone a finished product. Still, it's good to know that smart sunglasses and style won't be mutually exclusive at some point in the future.
Pivothead review: video recording eyewear for (reasonably) discreet POV clips
We won't mince words -- the Pivothead Durango have a decidedly "sporty" style that probably won't win it too many fans. But, if you're in the market for some POV video action, chances are style isn't particularly high on your list of must-have features. They have the appearance of low-key, but bulky Oakley knockoffs. But again, if you're hurtling yourself down a hill on a snowboard, how cool your specs look is probably secondary to recording high-quality video and absorbing a beating. So, we promise, this is the last you'll hear about how unsightly these things are. (And they are just that -- ugly.) Once you head past the break we'll have video samples, photo samples and field tests, but nary a word about how embarrassing it is to walk around in public with these on. Promise. So, join us below as we put Pivothead's video sunglasses through their paces.
ZionEyez becomes Zeyez, wants you to know it's still watching
When ZionEyez launched its Kickstarter campaign this summer, the company promised a "Winter 2011" ship timeframe for its Eyez video recording glasses. And when that deadline came and went, many backers were understandably frustrated, requesting refunds and even emailing us for a status update after attempts to contact the design team were unsuccessful. We've been in touch with the company on a consistent basis since we first covered its Eyez project, and we even had an opportunity to test out a prototype in December. Now, ZionEyez (now simply "Zeyez") executives have provided several explanations for the unexpected delays, including an enormous number of project backers, broader market appeal and a desire to partner with a top-tier manufacturer in order to produce a higher-quality product. Jump past the break for the unabridged appeal.
