Eyewear

Recently in Japan, Epson showed off its new head-mounted display, the Moverio - billed as world's first transparent video eyewear. Users wearing the Moverio can see images displayed on a background of the real world, which could be particularly useful when using the glasses in public spaces, such as trains or planes. Read More

Vuzix has updated its line of video eyewear with its sleekest and, at 852 x 480 pixels, highest-res model yet - the Vuzix Wrap 1200. Compatible with both 2D and 3D content, the glasses can display an equivalent of 75-inch screen as seen from a distance of 10 feet (3 m) and feature separate focus adjustment for each eye as well as adjustable eye distance and viewing angles. Read More

Those of us who need to wear glasses face a bit of a quandary when it comes to protective eyewear. We can put big safety glasses on over top of our prescription glasses, although these can be bulky, uncomfortable, and a little funny-looking. Those drawbacks can be avoided by getting safety glasses with prescription lenses, but given the conditions under which such glasses are typically worn, it’s entirely possible that their custom lenses will get scratched. This leaves users on the hook for an expensive new pair, which they will have to wait several days for. Australian inventor Andreas Mehringer, however, has created what could be a better alternative, in the form of his IC Safety System. Read More

Tired of your glasses fogging up on cold days, or of having to spit in your dive mask before putting it on? Those hassles may become a thing of the past, as researchers from Quebec City’s Université Laval have developed what they claim is the world’s first permanent anti-fog coating. Just one application is said to work indefinitely on eyeglasses, windshields, camera lenses, or any other transparent glass or plastic surface. Read More

If you thought that the Transcend Ski Goggles featuring head mounted display technology were special, then you're going to love what Recon Instruments currently has under development. The company sees its next generation iteration being capable of wirelessly connecting with smartphones and video cameras, of displaying detailed trail maps and of being able to locate and track friends and family on the slopes. Read More

We have previously reported on the development of prototype adaptive focus glasses at the University of Arizona (UA) that were able to switch focus electronically. Unlike manually adjustable focus glasses, such as TruFocals, that place a flexible liquid lens between two rigid lenses, the lenses of the prototype glasses consisted of a layer of liquid crystals sandwiched between two pieces of glass. By applying an electric charge, the orientation of the liquid crystals – and therefore the optical path length through the lens – was able to be changed, resulting in glasses that changed focus electronically. This technology is now on its way to consumers with PixelOptics showing its emPower! glasses at CES 2011. Read More

If you wear bifocal or even trifocal eyeglasses, then you will know what a hassle it can be having to tilt your head up to see things that are nearby. The areas of image softness or distortion can also be distracting, and even cause nausea or headaches in some users. Using multiple pairs of single-vision glasses gets you around these problems, but introduces the problem of... well, of carrying around and using multiple pairs of glasses. TruFocals, however, allow users to wear one pair of glasses for near-, far- and mid-vision, without having different focal areas within the same lens at the same time. Instead, users actually focus the glasses by hand, not unlike a pair of binoculars. Read More

A coming together of sports lens developer Zeal Optics and display innovator Recon Instruments has managed to successfully squeeze both GPS technology and head-mounted display into a set of ski goggles named Transcend. A tiny computer gathers information from a number of onboard sensors and provides location, speed, altitude and temperature information to the wearer via a micro-LCD display inside the goggles. The image from the display is then virtually projected so that it appears out in front of the user. Read More

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people who spend many hours a day in front of computer or TV monitor you could be suffering from a complaint commonly referred to as eye fatigue. And while you might think your sight is deteriorating and you’re losing your 20/20 vision, it could be that your eyes are just plain tired. Eyewear specialist Gunnar Optiks has a range of glasses with special lenses that are designed to relax your eyes and help avoid tiredness, sore eyes and even headaches associated with gazing at screens all day. Read More