Sony Releases the Transparent Lens Eyewear “SmartEyeglass Developer Edition”

In addition to acting as the purchasing portal for this device and as the channel for obtaining the SDK, the dedicated SmartEyeglass page on the Sony Developer World website will also provide detailed specifications on the device as well as information potentially useful for app development, such as examples of apps already in existence and conceivable use case

The SmartEyeglass has the potential to be used in a wide range of scenarios^*3, depending on the app installed on the wirelessly-connected smartphone that it is being used in conjunction with. Its most salient characteristic is the superimposed display of information on top of a view of the real world, which enables the user to obtain desired information without having to turn his attention away from what he is doing or looking at. This has considerable implications for AR (augmented reality), which holds great potential in the domain of professional use as well, such as when giving instructions to workers at a manufacturing site or when transmitting visual information to security officers about a potential breach.

Indeed, at the Sony booth at CES 2015 held in Las Vegas in January, several instructional apps (developed by APX Labs Inc.) for the workplace setting were showcased, utilizing SAP’s cloud computing system. One of the apps helps users at a warehouse select the correct component to use next, and another gives step-by-step engine maintenance instructions at a repair shop. Many applications for consumer use also seem ripe with potential, such as the user viewing data related to a certain player while watching a game, displaying SNS messages pertaining to an event the user is attending, and displaying sightseeing information while exploring a tourist spot. The SmartEyeglass will thus be able to realize more convenient and enjoyable lifestyles for users.

Sony is working to build a rich portfolio of apps compatible with the SmartEyeglass so that individuals across the world can benefit from the increased convenience in accessing helpful information that wearable devices provide, both in professional use and consumer use settings.

The SmartEyeglass is equipped with a diverse range of sensing technologies, including a CMOS image sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, brightness sensor, and microphone. It utilizes these features, together with GPS location information obtained from the connected smartphone, to provide information tailored to the user’s immediate circumstances. Sony has leveraged its unique hologram optics technology to develop a lens that achieves a high transparency of 85% and a thickness of just 3.0 mm, without the use of half mirrors that obstruct the user’s vision. Furthermore, the monochrome display ensures that while energy consumption is lower than a color display, high luminance (up to 1,000 cd/m²) is achieved, realizing an easy-to-read binocular display with clearly legible text under a wide range of conditions.

The exchange of information, from sensing data to images, between the SmartEyeglass and a wirelessly connected smartphone means that, depending on the smartphone app, the device has the potential to be used in a wide range of scenarios.

The SmartEyeglass is equipped with a thin, lightweight display module designed specifically for the transparent lens glasses-style smart device and featuring Sony’s unique holographic waveguide technology.

Holographic waveguide technology entails the propagation of image light that is output from the optical engine, using holographic optical elements embedded in both sides of a glass plate. The light is propagated through the extremely thin (1 mm) glass plate and then delivered to the eyes. With this technology, Sony succeeded in designing an incredibly thin 3 mm^*4 lens with a very high transmittance of 85%.

*4: Includes the protective plates in front and behind the waveguide.