The possibilities for humanity's technological future are endless. In a 2022 article, the New York Academy of Sciences invited its community to imagine what the next 100 years of science innovation would bring us. The responses foresaw exciting predictions about reusable energy resources, space elevators, brain-computer interfacing, and more. And while that future may seem far off, glimpses of it can be seen today through remarkable inventions pushing our technological prospects forward.
One such invention is smart eyewear. While still shy of science fiction capabilities, smart glasses have an exciting range of utilities you can use right now. Here are five of them:
They can capture photos and videos
During vacations or special moments, you face a dilemma: be entirely in the present or step out of it to capture some treasured memories. Today's smart eyewear fixes this problem with photo and video capture capabilities. The smart glasses from Ray-Ban and Meta, dubbed the Ray-Ban Stories, are equipped with a dual 5MP camera and stereoscopic photo depth technology. With it, you can take vibrant photos and high-quality videos from a first-person perspective without resorting to your phone, then share them on social media afterward. That makes modern smart eyewear excellent for documenting priceless experiences.
They let you browse the web
With smart eyewear, multi-tasking has never been so easy. The feature of exploring the internet through eyewear was introduced all the way back with the breakout Google Glass, which allowed you to view content from social media sites hands-free. It worked by augmenting reality, projecting a semi-transparent prism onto your retina. The Enterprise Edition even came with VR capabilities. While Google has since discontinued its Google Glass product, other companies like Oppo have taken up the mantle with models like the Air Glass to perfect the feature of surfing the web with just your eyes.
They play music
Smart glasses aren't just for your eyes. The Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses have speakers built into the frame's arms that emit sound right behind your ears, allowing you to enjoy your songs clearly without disturbing the people around you. The eyewear also doesn't lose Bose's signature crisp and warm sounds. With them, you can enjoy your favorite playlists with amazing audio without the need for extra headphones or earbuds.
They facilitate communication
Your electronic devices should help you connect more with the world rather than take you away from it. Smart glasses go above and beyond these criteria. On the one hand, you can use a gadget like TechKen sunglasses, which have adjustable, Bluetooth-compatible headphones and a built-in microphone to take calls. You can chat with friends while working out or exploring a new city. On the other hand, smart glasses can also help with face-to-face communication. Xiaomi smart AR glasses, for example, offer live translation between English and Chinese. While those language capabilities are limited, they're sure to expand-and with it, your ability to establish rapport with the people around you wherever you are.
They improve your eyesight
Smart glasses are also starting to have implications for your health-especially regarding your eyesight. Some models on the market today can improve how you see the world. In particular, the DeepOptics adaptive focus sunglasses stand out because they can switch between different reading prescriptions. If you're a nearsighted wearer, these glasses will sharpen your focus when you read and shift to scenic mode when you want to examine your environment. The eyewear also aims to meet the challenge of presbyopia-the gradual degradation of the eyes' ability to focus-by using liquid crystal layers that allow pixels to rotate and remain clear to the viewer. It's a great step forward for the health applications of smart eyewear.
Smart eyewear offers us a glimpse of the future through its stellar capabilities. If it's already capable of doing this much today, the possibilities for the tech's future are sure to be compelling.
