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By 2018, smart glasses technology still seems dormant in the mainstream market; That said, a Canadian company is looking to rejuvenate the scene with a new set of lenses.
Thalmic Labs, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company behind the Myo cuff controller, is renamed North, and to celebrate, it is launching its new Focals smart glasses. IT World Canada had the opportunity to try two of them at the North Building Toronto store, and that's what we learned.
What are focal lengths?
Focals smart glasses are designed to provide an intuitive way to check notifications, talk to Alexa, plan a ride with Uber, and more. His philosophy is not to create exorbitant functions, but to quickly provide important information. In fact, in an interview, Aaron Grant, co-founder of North, said that the display was supposed to be turned off most of the time and that it would only come alive when needed.
Among the major donors are Intel Capital Fund and Amazon Alexa Fund. MobileSyrup announced for the first time last month a leak regarding brand change and the launch of smart glasses from Thalmic Labs.
Watch our video at first glance on Focals and the new North sales area
Function and style
While the Google Glass and its technology looked promising, it was mocked for its awkward design and its packaging looked like a cheap accessory from a science fiction B movie.
The Focals, by contrast, are much more elegant than the Google Glass. Think of its smart features as an extension of a pair of prescription glasses that you can actually use to see. The projection technology is integrated in a subtle and minimalist way to avoid highlighting the wearer.
In my opinion, Focals has the best of smart glasses available, even if there is not much choice. It can easily pass like a normal pair of glasses, but with thicker legs that hold the electronics and the battery. Its lightweight and durable plastic frame weighs around 60 grams while being water and dust resistant. Grant did not reveal whether he was classified as IP, only that he could be worn in the rain.
How it works
The fundamentals of Focal are very similar to those of Google Glass. They both use a small projector to reflect the image on the fovea of the wearer, the part of the retina sharper. Thus it is possible to present a clear image despite the proximity of the eye.
It is at the implementation level where the two smart glasses diverge. While Google Glass uses a tiny prism to deflect the horizontal trajectory of the projection, Focals integrates the deflection piece directly onto the lens. This is a tiny, circular lens that is extremely difficult to spot, but you can barely outline it when the light hits it perfectly.
This design accomplishes three goals; First, by pointing the projector forward, it can be stored in the foot of the glass. Secondly, since the reflector is on the glass, it does not need a dedicated housing.
The third and perhaps the most important distinction is its compatibility with different prescriptions. The Google Glass is a device located above the lens. Therefore, when worn with different prescriptions, the wearer must move the prism closer or further to offset the modified focal length.
Focals, however, has the thought piece provided on the lens itself, eliminating the need to adjust the focal length regardless of the prescription.
So, why not use transparent and flexible OLED movies? It's easy to answer. Your eyes are unable to focus on images at a distance so close. There are ways to create a focused virtual image with the help of OLED, but such a design would increase the size and reduce the transparency of the lens. Therefore, the projector is a much more efficient method.
This brings us to the process of adaptation. The reflection room is fixed, its position must be calibrated to measure for each user. In addition, the frame must be perfectly adjusted so that the reflection can enter the eye at the right angle. North uses an imaging station with 11 cameras to create a 3D model of your head, which he then uses to customize the frame.
Privacy
One might think that since the projector is moving away from the viewer, the content of the display would be visible to everyone. Fortunately, this is not the case with Focals, the puzzle piece uses an exclusive polarized coating that prevents light from entering the lens, thus preserving your data for your eyes.
It's great that your information is hidden, but what about the privacy of others? Google Glasses was able to record video and audio with the aid of a simple voice command, which caused serious concern to the privacy-minded public, which ended up in the news. prohibit in sensitive places before launching.
The Focals, on the other hand, is strictly an output device. It does not have a camera and the microphone is only used to make voice commands. This largely mitigates the privacy concerns associated with smart glasses.
Battery life
Having fewer sensors means fewer parts to power, and fewer parts to power means a longer life of the battery. Although its features are more robust, the Google Glass only lasts five hours with a charge. In contrast, the focal lengths can last up to 18 hours. Each pair of glasses comes with a dedicated charging case that can provide up to three full refills.
Potential problems
The technology of consumer smart glasses is not yet refined. Therefore, although it is one of the most accessible and functional products to date, the Focals smart glasses have no drawbacks.
As its complexity increases, the price of parts also increases. Although North has not given us a concrete answer on the costs, it is a safe bet that the spare parts will not be cheap. Fortunately, Focals comes with a one year warranty and a 14 day return policy.
Focal's aesthetic appeal is undeniable, but the variety of frame styles is still not varied, but North might be able to talk about it later.
Availability
Each pair of Focals costs $ 1,299 – an ostentatious option for the deepest pockets. At launch, it will be available in a standard square frame and a round frame, both offered in black or turtle shell.
The North store will open in downtown Toronto and Brooklyn in early November. Although the initial order may take up to a few months, North hopes to eventually reduce the lead time to just a few days.
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