AR Smart Glasses – Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Pair for Your Business

AR smart glasses are helping businesses streamline operations and provide better support to employees. But there are many factors to consider when choosing the right pair for your business.

Music lovers should look for frames with stereo speakers, and photographers should find a pair with high-megapixel cameras. Other important features include a long battery life and swappable lenses.

Hands-free communication and connectivity

AR smart glasses are computer-capable devices that are worn like a pair of glasses. They are able to detect the environment and display virtual images or information that is superimposed on the real world in order to create Augmented Reality. This information can be retrieved from computers, smartphones or other devices and is displayed through the lenses. This technology is popular amongst enterprise companies where hands-free operations are vital. Industries such as logistics, construction, manufacturing and field service regularly use AR smart glasses for their day-to-day operations.

Most AR smart glasses are powered by a small microprocessor that can perform basic operations, such as processing audio and video input. Some also include a camera that can take pictures or videos. Other features can include a speaker for listening to music or audio notifications from your smartphone. Some models also have an NFC reader to allow wireless connectivity with other smart devices.

Several models of AR smart glasses can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth to make calls, listen to music and podcasts or play games. Others can connect to your car via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to enable hands-free navigation and entertainment on the go. Some have a touchpad that can be used to control the device. Other models have a microphone for hands-free voice control.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality, or AR, delivers a combination of ar smart glasses real-world and digital content using mobile devices with a display. It uses sensors to detect the device’s location and overlay virtual information. The user can interact with the virtual information by touch, voice, or gestures to control the experience.

For example, ecommerce AR can help customers see how a piece of furniture might look in their home or try on a shirt without visiting the store. This can reduce return rates and increase conversions. It can also help brands differentiate themselves in a competitive retail landscape.

Marker-based AR uses physical markers like QR codes and images to trigger the AR experience. It can be used with smartphones and tablets or with specialized headsets.

Some AR smart glasses, such as the Vuzix M100 and Google Glass Explorer Edition, are designed to be worn on the head. These headsets are more comfortable than traditional glasses and can support features such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS connections to retrieve information.

Other AR smart glasses, such as the Nreal Air and the Vuzix M100 Plus, are built for use with a smartphone. These glasses allow you to access notifications and messages, a music player, and your daily schedule and calendar through voice assistants and a dedicated app. They can also record video with a single tap or snap pictures. A light on the frame illuminates when the glasses are in recording or picture-taking mode.

Virtual Reality

In addition to enhancing your view of the real world with digital information, AR smart glasses can also give you a virtual experience. The most immersive VR headsets blur the lines between your real and artificial environments. The best ones have binocular displays that simulate the human eye and deliver a 3D effect. They also have hand-tracking components to further blend the experience into your reality and controllers to interact with virtual elements.

Some manufacturers integrate non-optical control components into the headset while others keep these devices separate. The Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses, for example, are corded and tether to Android or Motorola smartphones for processing power and other functionality. This approach keeps the weight low and the device compact enough for comfortable wear.

The Xiaomi Moverio BT 300 smart glasses are another example. These wireless specs are constructed from magnesium alloy and carbon fiber, making them lighter than competitors such as the Oculus Quest 2. The Moverio BT 300 has a 126g weight and a single RGB display for each eye with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. You can record up to 30 seconds of video or snap a picture with a simple tap or swipe of the screen. A small LED illuminates to indicate that you’re recording or snapping.

Aside from entertainment, these AR smart glasses have a variety of enterprise uses. For example, they can be used by a field service technician to transmit schematics and instructions for troubleshooting to their team in the field. They’re also used ar smart glasses by medical professionals to train students and create visualizations of complex MRIs or CT scans.

Privacy and data management

Whether for business or pleasure, AR smart glasses are poised to change the way we interact with our surroundings. But this technology raises important privacy concerns that need to be addressed before it is widely adopted.

The first issue is that a person can easily become an unwitting surveillance device when wearing AR glasses. Because these devices have cameras, they can record a wide range of visual information, from the person’s location to their facial expressions. The combination of these features creates an identity map that is readily available to anyone who can hack the AR glass and access its data.

In response, companies such as Google and Apple are working to develop products that will offer users a more private experience. However, these models will still require a smartphone to function, which is not ideal for many workers.

In contrast, a company such as Engo has developed sporty AR glasses that can project real-time stats on an AMOLED microdisplay planted into photochromic lenses. For runners, cyclists and triathletes, these can be useful for displaying distance, speed, power and heart rate on the go. They also have the potential to work with Garmin watches and bike sensors like power meters, allowing athletes to tinker with the data screens that are displayed on screen. Similarly, field support staff can use these glasses to highlight product parts that need to be removed or replaced during repairs, saving them from having to drive back and forth between the van and the warehouse.