We all know what “smart glasses” look like. They have a big prism hanging out in front like Google Glass, so that tech enthusiasts can wear them like a badge of honor. As a result, bystanders get concerned about being photographed and recorded, and wonder what the wearer is seeing that they don’t see. But what if they didn’t look much different from a regular pair of glasses? The result might look a lot like the new Smart Glasses scheduled to ship this year from the Osterhout Design Group (ODG).
The company has been building smart glasses for government and industry applications for years, so they have refined the technology to an advanced degree. The consumer models will have dual high-definition imagers so that you get a stereoscopic 3D view. The glasses are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, and can do everything that you can do with a tablet computer. You can even use a Bluetooth keyboard for wireless input. The glasses also have 9-axis inertial motion detection (gyroscope, magnetometer, and accelerometer), a high-speed camera, and stereo audio. With all this, they weigh less than 125 grams or about four ounces, and are expected to sell for about $1,000.
This design has all sorts of potential applications, from augmented reality to gaming. They could be used to provide healthcare workers with hands-free access to patient biometrics and medical history, as well as other useful references. As the components get smaller, lighter, and lower cost, we may see a big increase in the used of such devices in a variety of health and medical situations.
