The eyes are a major focus for wearables today, and specs that help you concentrate better, train for a marathon, take photos, recite recipes, and ring your mom are all in the mix. Good thing: 57% of people are excited about wearable tech in everyday life, up from 41% in 2014, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Here, we curate a mix of must-know high-tech specs to keep on your radar:
Level From VSP Global
The Specs: The tech-embedded prototype is the first to integrate health-tracking technology seamlessly into the frame’s temple.
Oakley Radar Pace From Luxottica
The Specs: The voice-activated coaching system in the sunglasses responds in real time to questions like, “How’s my pace?”
Smith Lowdown Focus From Safilo
The Specs: The sunglasses allow wearers to monitor their brain activity to meditate and improve mental focus/performance.
Vue Smart Glasses
The Specs: Born of a Kickstarter campaign with over $2 million in pledges, these smart glasses (offered in Rx, plano, and sun) allow wearers to listen to music, track activity, make calls, and more.
PogoCam From PogoTec
The Specs: ClearVision Optical offers select styles in its Ocean Pacific collection specially outfitted with PogoTrack, which enables wearers to attach a PogoCam—the world’s smallest wearable camera.
Vuzix Blade 3000
The Specs: Winner of four CES 2017 Innovation Awards, the AR smart glasses work as a hands-free extension to a smart phone (display on the lenses).
Spectacles From Snap Inc.
The Specs: The colorful sunnies sync with smart phones so users can post to Snapchat directly from their POV.
Recon Jet
The Specs: Marketed as “smart eyewear for sports,” the Recon Jet displays all metrics live, just below the right eye. A pair was recently seen on triathlete Tim Don in a pro Ironman competition in May.
—Kerri Ann Raimo
At this stage, what consumers are craving most in smart eyewear is an attractive design with frictionless use. The frames must look beautiful in and of themselves. But just as important is the function. The technology must translate to an elegant, useful, and seamless experience and one that brings true value to the wearer’s life beyond just a passing novelty.”
—JAY SALES, co-director, The Shop at VSP Global