What are smart glasses; Smart glasses are one of the innovative gadgets that are not very old but have managed to make a lot of noise over the past few years? Simply put, these types of glasses can bring the technology in smartphones directly to our eyes and ears.
Google unveiled its first smart glasses in 2013. These glasses eventually became a commercial failure, but since then many companies have entered the field and new news about these gadgets is constantly published. But what exactly are smart glasses and why is it not so easy to make? We will deal with this issue in the following.
What are smart glasses?
Smart glasses are among the gadgets that can have different applications. For example, like an augmented reality layer, they are able to display more information in the user’s field of vision. Some of them may make phone calls or listen to music but have no visual output.
Basically, the purpose of making smart glasses is to get some of the functionality of smartphones and similar gadgets directly to your head or face. You have to use your hands to enjoy the features of some of these glasses, but others are completely sound-driven. These glasses can allow you to answer calls or messages, capture photos, and videos from your point of view, listen to music, interact with apps, use GPS navigation, or view an augmented reality layer. Smart glasses also have important applications in various industries such as logistics, health, and construction.
What are the parts of smart glasses?
For smart glasses to function similarly to smartphones and other similar gadgets, they must be easily controlled, have multiple sensors, and provide audio and visual outputs. In the following, we will take a look at the most important parts of smart glasses.
Audio capabilities
Some smart glasses support the ability to make calls or watch videos. Instead of using speakers, some of these glasses can use a technology called bone conduction to transmit sound through the skull bone to the inner ear.
Microphone
Most smart glasses have a small microphone that can pick up your voice and the sound of the environment. For glasses that are sound-driven, this feature is very important, and we should also mention its use for making calls, as well as the ability to record video with sound.
Processor
Like other smart gadgets, smart glasses require a CPU. This processor is usually installed in one of the categories of glasses and therefore should be very small in size. Some companies, such as Qualcomm, offer special chipsets for these types of gadgets.
Camera
Many smart glasses require a camera. One of the reasons for the widespread attacks on Google Glass was that the camera violated the privacy of others, and this is an important legal and ethical issue. The camera is used for filming and analyzing the environment to enable applications such as displaying an augmented reality layer, for example. Some newer smart glasses do not have a camera and usually offer audio capabilities.
Display; Curved mirrors and wave guides
The most important and challenging part of smart glasses is their display. For smart glasses, companies usually have to use screens based on waveguides or curved mirrors.
Curved mirror-based displays project the image onto the mirror. The problem with curved mirrors is that the glasses get thicker and bigger overall, and the final image is less clear.
On the other hand, various companies are developing displays based on “waveguide” technology, which is a much more advanced technology. The most important problem with waveguide-based displays is their limited field of view. For example, although the human eye uses a field of view of about 220 degrees, the HoloLens gadget waveguide display provides a field of view of about 30 to 50 degrees. Although some companies have claimed to make waveguide displays with a field of view of more than 100 degrees, none of them have entered the mass production stage.
Another problem is that if the manufacturer wants to increase the field of view, he has to increase the thickness of the screen. Another challenge is screen resolution. Have smart glasses with a high-resolution display to provide real content and allow users to see a variety of details. But the complex nature of the display of smart glasses leads to a reduction in their resolution.
In addition to these challenges, we have to point out problems such as color accuracy and real-world distortion, all of which have doubled the complexity of making such displays.
What do current smart glasses look like?
There are several different smart glasses on the market right now. None of them are perfect, and many are expensive, but the technology is evolving rapidly. Here are two examples of smart glasses available in the market.
Amazon Echo Frames
Amazon Echo Frames smart glasses do not have augmented reality capabilities and therefore do not have a special display. Instead, it has a speaker and microphone, and users can use it to listen to music, control Alexa-assisted smart gadgets, or make calls.
Vuzix Blade Upgraded
Other smart glasses include Vuzix glasses that use a display based on waveguide technology for the right eye. These glasses use an 8-megapixel camera and a microphone, and users can use it to record photos, play some games, watch movies, and do other such things.
The future of augmented reality with smart glasses
Smart glasses have come a long way since Google’s first attempt. Several companies around the world are currently developing such glasses, and the technology is advancing very rapidly. The future of augmented reality technology looks exciting, as new generations of waveguide monitors are set to offer much better resolution, the field of view, and clarity.
Although smart glasses on the market do not have much to say and on the other hand are expensive, but it seems that in the next few years these gadgets can attract widespread attention.
