Intel Takes on Smart Glasses

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Intel confirms rumours from the likes of Bloomberg with the announcement it is, in fact, working on smart glasses able to provide users with simple notifications by literally beaming images in their eyeballs with a laser.

Intel VauntDeveloped by the Intel New Devices Group (NDG) and first revealed by The Verge, the glasses are dubbed Vaunt and look like regular glasses. They lack cameras, speakers, microphones, display or any computing hardware as such. In terms of technology, the frames carry an electronics suite inside the right stem powering a low-powered laser (a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser, to be specific).

The laser able to beam a red image on a holographic reflector on the right lens, which in turn is reflect right on the retina. The actual image is small (around 400 x 150 resolution) and consists of simple text, such as a notification pushed from a smartphone. The Verge says the image appears on the lower right side of the visual field, and disappears whenever one is not looking in that direction. According to Intel such an effect is intentional, since it did not want notifications to appear directly in the line of sight.

Chipzilla adds the Vaunt glasses are not designed to provide a constant stream of notifications, Google Glass-style -- instead they are aimed at more subtle, context-sensitive use cases, such as directions, phone call alerts or even telling the Yelp rating of a restaurant. All such functionality comes via smartphone and Bluetooth connectivity. Other components inside the Vaunt frame are an app processor and sensors such as an accelerometer and compass allowing control via basic head gestures.

What Intel does not tell is when the Vaunt glasses will hit the market. However developers will be able to get their hands on a pair (if in early access form) some time this year.

Go Intel Made Smart Glasses That Look Normal (The Verge)