Vuzix is set to introduce a new set of augmented reality (AR)-based smart glasses within its Blade family of products at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show 2018, with the American technology company claiming that the pair of smart glasses is arguably the first such product that offers a large virtual screen and a light weight build, coming in at approximately 85 grams. The Vuzix Blade AR smart glasses take advantage of the company’s very own waveguide optics and Cobra II display engine to let you experience AR in a see-through viewing mode.
Features of the new Vuzix Blade smart AR glasses include weather updates, event notifications, a video conference tool, sports and social feeds, biometrics, directions and menus. Its field of view and brightness can also be adjusted in accordance with your requirements so that the wearable can be used conveniently outside or at home. The smart glass is compatible with both Android and iOS devices and it can show you location-aware imagery wherever you are while the phone is hidden in a remote location. With the new pair of Vuzix Blade, you can also now play your favorite game without using your hands, as it comes with hands-free computing and connectivity features. Further to that, you can view the alerts on your mobile device right through the AR smart glass’s companion app, which connects the Vuzix Blade to your smartphone so that you can manage your notifications and apps. Vuzix also claims it has a growing ecosystem of AR applications, courtesy of its developer community that uses the open Android platform to build new apps for the Vuzix Blade. The smart glass also allows you to make various tasks such as answering phone calls, viewing text messages on the wearable itself, taking photos or capturing point of view videos.
It runs on the Vuzix Blade OS, which offers an intuitive viewing experience and lets you make swipes and taps for a seamless navigation. If that sounds a bit cumbersome to you, the AR smart glass also allows for voice controls and supports third-party artificial intelligence (AI) systems. It’s worth pointing out that Vuzix unveiled its M300 smart glasses last year for enterprise users, though the device’s form factor presented a challenge in terms of the wearer’s visual appearance and the wearable’s portability. Well, the new Vuzix Blade supposedly addresses that challenge with what the company claims an “unprecedented” form factor. More specifically, the smart glass’s lightweight form factor lets you service retail customers, for example, if you’re in a customer-facing business.