So you like glasses, but you want them to be more biodegradable? The plastic that makes up your typical frame is anything but. What is the solution? Well, according to Studio Swing, you need to look no further than your own head. The solution is human hair.
The lead designers of the glasses, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves, say they were created to “explore how the booming production of hair extensions can be expanded beyond the beauty industry to make other commodities that are equally desirable.” They don’t look half bad right?
The hairy specs are not for sale yet, but in this ever green conscious world, you bet it won’t be long before they are. We will keep you updated.
Posted in: Eyewear, Studio Swine
The hunt for the world’s perfect pair of 3D glasses continues. The hunter this time? Nvidia. The company has released 3D Vision glasses, which are perfect for HDTVs with 3D capabilities. The downside? They are wired. You will not be able to watch Avatar in your customary position, which is 300 feet from your 150″ screen. Sorry about that.
The upside? The price is right. They clock in at just $99 a pair, compared to $149 for the wireless version. The units are also perfect for 3D PC gaming, so consider them “universal.” The glasses are available now. What are you waiting for? Don’t you want things to jump right out at you?
Posted in: Eyewear, Nvidia
The US military and wearable displays go together like shrapnel and war movies. Now DARPA has teamed up with Vuzix to bring the world its first pair of augmented-reality holographic sunglasses.
The government has furnished Vuzix with a cool million bucks to make these dreams a reality. How will they, in theory, work? Well, both institutions promise real time analysis of combat scenes. Vuzix also said they believe the finished product will be no more than 3mm thick and completely transparent when turned off.
If this all goes well, expect consumers to get their grubby lil mitts on these before long. We’ll keep you posted.
Posted in: Concept Design, Eyewear, Vuzix
The world is filled with many variations of 3D eyewear. Wouldn’t it be great if there was some kind of standardization so we could be sure the glasses were actually, um, good? CEA, or the Consumer Electronics Association, is trying to do just that.
The association has just put in a request or proposals on a standard IR sync interface for active 3D glasses. As such, it is asking companies to join the 3D Technologies Working Group. These companies will have to work fast though, as proposals are due by March 31st. Of this year, in case you were wondering.
The ultimate goal here to make sure all pairs of 3D glasses work with every TV released, so you won’t get caught with your figurative(or literal, if you are creepy) pants down. ..read more
Posted in: Eyewear, Wearable Tech
California-based Second Sight makes the kind of useful wearable tech that makes life a lot better. The company’s Argus II retinal prosthesis has been turning heads since it was announced last year. Well, it has just been approved for “clinical and commercial use” in Europe. That is great, considering this thing pretty much delivers sight to the sightless. Think, Geordie LaForge and you’d be getting there.
Here is how it works: Patients put on the camera-laden lenses. Signals are then routed to a chip that implanted near the retina. The information is then literally “beamed” to the retina, giving the patient a sort of sight where there was previously none. This is some futuristic stuff.
For now, the $115,000 device will only be available in certain clinics throughout in Switzerland, France and ..read more
Posted in: Camera, Eyewear, Second Sight, Wearable Tech
Sure, there is lots of cool eyewear out there. But how many of those pairs of tight specs promise to revolutionize social networking? None, except for these. They are called Eyez and they purport to do just that. The folks behind these sweet shades, ZionEyez, say they’ll eventually come with enough computing power to choke a horse. Wait, computing power can do that? Scary.
The makers say that these unassuming looking glasses will eventually contain a host of features, including a video camera that records 1080p, 16GB of flash memory, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a 350 mAh lithium ion battery. I say “eventually” because as of now they are empty frames. This could become vaporware, or it could become the coolest pair of glasses ever made. Are you a cup ..read more
Posted in: Bluetooth, Camera, Eyewear, ZionEyez
Not all 3d glasses are the same. That is an immutable truth of the universe. Well, some glasses may be better and more featured than Hasbro’s new foray into the industry, but they weren’t won’t be as, um, Transform-ier. Hasbro’s Cine-Mask 3D glasses are hellbent on “transforming” those boring old two dimensions into exciting three dimensions.
The glasses are an obvious cash grab for the upcoming Transformers threequel “Dark of the Moon.” They are your standard cinema style 3D glasses, but each come shaped like the head of one of your favorite Transformers. They come as either Optimus Prime or Bumblebee and are affiliated with the RealD 3D technology.
They will be available a few weeks before the movie launches and will be available for just $10. Get these and forgo the ..read more
Posted in: Eyewear, Hasbro, Wearable Tech
Ah, the ever-changing world of glasses innovation. Interactive Group has thrown their hat into the ring with their Active-i sunglasses. These glasses are being hailed as the planet’s smallest standalone video and audio recording / playback device. Lofty words, right? Let’s see what’s going on under the, um, hood.
Basically these are some 1980s looking sunglasses with some multimedia functionality. They come with a built-in video camera right along the bridge of the nose, placed there all stealthy like. The camera can capture two hours of low-res video. Perfect for you would by stalkers spies out there.
That’s not all. After you capture the video, you can then watch it back right in your glasses. Pretty cool. The system also allows for USB transport to a PC or other device. James Bond ..read more
Posted in: Camera, Eyewear, Eyewear Display, Wearable Tech
This has certainly been the year of interesting eyewear. Calvin Klein and Marchon3D have joined the party by teaming up to make a nifty pair of 3D sunglasses. They are still patent-pending and, thus, are not available but they seem like a cool concept. 3D-capable sunglasses? Sign us up! Now you can watch Avatar and not look like a total idiot! These glasses look to be a more fashionable alternative to cinema specs. We will let you know when they are available.
Posted in: Eyewear, Marchon3D
This certainly is the year of the third dimension, but the one thing that all of these 3D specs lack is the ability to access whatever platform you so desire. XpanD is on it with their universal 3D glasses, which are now available for preorder on seminal Internet storefront Amazon.
The company boasts that these glasses will have no problems with inter-brand compatibility. Finally, you can get your 3D gaming and Avatar watching on without lifting a finger to switch glasses! Another huge calorie saver.
While they are available for preorder now, there has been on concrete word on the shipping date. However, we imagine it wouldn’t be too long. Fans of 3D tend to be awfully impatient. The glasses clock in at around $108 bucks which is actually better than the ..read more
Posted in: Eyewear, Wearable Tech, XpanD
