Yesterday, Meta introduced three new models of their smart glasses: the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the successor of the Ray-Ban Meta and the Oakley Meta Vanguard. These glasses are more than just gadgets. They serve as platforms for information, managing data in real time while being worn just like any other pair of glasses.
Smart glasses are no longer something futuristic, they are already being tested and used in a variety of settings. Kim and Choi (2021), for instance, reviewed how these devices are being applied and noted that they can support tasks in healthcare, education and other parts of industry, by giving users hands-free access to information. However, research conducted by Laun et al. (2022) point out that the bigger question is not whether the technology works, but whether people actually want to wear it. Acceptance is largely determined by whether the glasses are comfortable and easy to use. This helps explain why Meta is rolling out different versions of its glasses: some aimed at everyday convenience, others targeting more specialized needs such as professional work or sports.
A key element of Meta’s new devices is gesture-based control. Instead of buttons or touchscreens, users can interact with the glasses through subtle hand or wrist movements. research demonstrates that real-time gesture recognition can make wearable devices more efficient and intuitive, which is essential if smart glasses are to become part of everyday (Lu et al. 2022).
Speaking from personal experience, I can see a clear application in sports. As someone who enjoys road cycling, I often rely on a phone mounted to my bike for speed, distance and my heartrate. While useful, it forces me to look down, which can be distracting and most of all unsafe. Smart glasses that project this information directly in my field of vision would make cycling much safer. If companies can solve issues like battery life but especially weather (rain) resistance, I believe these dev genuinely change how cyclists train.
- Kim, D., & Choi, Y. (2021). Applications of smart glasses in applied sciences: A systematic review. Applied Sciences, 11(11), 4956. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114956
- Laun, M., Czech, C., Hartmann, U., Terschüren, C., Harth, V., Karamanidis, K., & Friemert, D. (2022). The acceptance of smart glasses used as side-by-side instructions for complex assembly tasks is highly dependent on the device model. International Journal Of Industrial Ergonomics, 90, 103316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2022.103316
- Lu, Z., Cai, S., Chen, B., Liu, Z., Guo, L., & Yao, L. (2022). Wearable real-time gesture recognition scheme based on A-mode ultrasound. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 30, 2623–2629. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2022.3205026
