Predictive failure of smart glasses anticipated without the integration of augmented reality, according to research findings
In the world of technology, smart glasses have been on the horizon for quite some time. With giants like Google leading the charge, the race to create the perfect pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses is heating up. However, for these devices to achieve widespread adoption, they must evolve from mere novelty items into true AR systems, according to market research firm IHS.
To transform smart glasses into the next big thing, they need to incorporate several key features and address critical applications.
Key Features
Advanced Optical Head-Mounted Display (OHMD)
To superimpose digital information seamlessly onto the user's field of view with transparency, high-quality displays with wide fields of view (e.g., 57 degrees) and smooth refresh rates (e.g., 120Hz) are essential. These enhancements prevent flicker and blur, providing an immersive experience.
Pose Tracking and 3DoF/6DoF Sensors
Precise spatial tracking is crucial to understand user head and body position, enabling stable and context-aware augmentation.
Self-contained Computing Power (on-device AI processing)
Proprietary chips or AI engines, like Xreal’s X1 chip, are necessary to handle display processing and tracking without relying on external devices or software, ensuring responsive and untethered use.
Long-lasting Battery Life
Battery life sufficient for all-day use is essential, as continuous AR display and AI processing consume considerable power.
Wireless Connectivity
Support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS is needed to communicate with other devices and access the internet for real-time information and cloud AI integration.
Natural User Interfaces
Voice commands, natural language AI interfaces, touch buttons, or gesture control are necessary for hands-free, intuitive interaction without needing to pull out a smartphone.
Camera and Sensor Integration
For environment sensing, live translation, activity tracking, and assistive features, camera and sensor integration is crucial. However, privacy concerns around cameras must be managed carefully.
Prescription Lens Compatibility and Stylish Design
To ensure broad user adoption, glasses must be comfortable, visually appealing, and suitable for users with vision correction needs.
Applications Supporting Widespread Adoption
Contextual Digital Assistance
Ambient AI providing relevant information, notifications, navigation, language translation, and task assistance directly in the user's line of sight will drive mass appeal and integration into daily life.
Hands-Free Communication and Media
Calls, messages, media control, notifications without interrupting the user’s engagement with the real world are essential features for smart glasses.
Work and Productivity Enhancements
Display extensions (e.g., ultrawide virtual monitors), remote collaboration, and workflow tools that enhance focus and multitasking without disruptive hardware will revolutionize the way we work.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Integrating lifelogging, activity tracking, and health data collection will empower users to take control of their health and wellness.
Specialized Use Cases
Augmented reality for professionals (surgeons, engineers), education, tourism (guided overlays), and assistive technologies for disabilities will open up new opportunities for smart glasses.
If developers fully utilize their augmented reality potential, IHS predicts that 10 million devices will be shipped by 2016. However, if they fail to exploit this potential, only 1 million smart glasses will be shipped through to 2016.
Google has stated that Glass will be generally available from 2014, but its current marketing focus primarily revolves around its video recording capabilities, according to IHS. This narrow focus may hinder widespread adoption, as smart glasses need to present useful information in the wearer's line of sight that can be "safely and easily integrated into casual use."
Competition is fierce, with a number of competitors developing smart glasses to rival Google's product. Chinese web giant Baidu is developing a wearable device with speech recognition in Mandarin and image search, while Microsoft filed a patent for augmented smart glasses as early as May 2011, describing their potential use in displaying statistics over a wearer's view of a baseball game.
The true success of smart glasses will be when they can provide information to users not apparent when viewing people, places, or things, according to Theo Ahadome, senior analyst at IHS. This information may include live updates for travel, location reviews and recommendations, nutritional information, matching personal preferences, and previous encounters to aid decision making.
IHS outlines two possible futures for the smart glass market: one where smart glasses become an integral part of daily life, and another where they remain a niche product. The future of smart glasses depends on developers' ability to create truly useful and integrated AR systems.
[1] Advanced Optical Head-Mounted Display (OHMD) [2] Smart Glasses: The Future of Augmented Reality [3] Google Glass: The Future of Augmented Reality [4] The Future of Augmented Reality: A Look at the Latest Developments [5] Privacy Concerns Surrounding Smart Glasses
- To become an integral part of daily life, smart-home devices like smart glasses must evolve into true augmented reality (AR) systems, leveraging advanced Optical Head-Mounted Displays (OHMD) for seamless digital information superimposition and incorporating natural user interfaces for hands-free interaction.
- The race to create the perfect pair of smart glasses with gadgets such as GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and long-lasting battery life is heating up due to the prediction that if developers fully utilize their AR potential, 10 million devices could be shipped by 2021, but if they fail, only 1 million smart glasses may ship.
