Bosh brought a prototype of very unusual smart glasses to CES 2020, but did not present them, confining itself to an interview for the most persistent journalists.
The reason is the underlying technology of laser drawing of a dynamic picture directly inside the eye is quite difficult to understand (although it is easy to use). Thanks to it, Bosch smart glasses are lighter, more economical and more convenient than analogues, but they are practically useless for the retail segment.
The lenses of Bosh smart glasses are not screens, they are empty and clean, they do not interfere with the view. Instead, a tiny microelectromechanical mirror array passes three lasers (red, green, and blue) through a transparent holographic element. The light from it goes directly to the pupil, for which initially you need to carefully adjust the glasses to the user’s anatomical features.
Since light enters only one eye, the brain does not switch entirely to it, while retaining the ability to see what is happening in front of the user. By default, the focal distance is set to 1.3 m, so that it is convenient to talk with the interlocutor, but it can be reconfigured. For example, at the optimum distance when watching a movie on the screen or for cycling. Glasses do not track the movement of the user’s eyes – it is worth squinting your eyes as the virtual picture disappears.
Technically, the new glasses are a development of the North focals system grown from Intel Vaunt, but Bosch claims that their brainchild is 30% smaller and weighs only 10 grams. An integrated 350 mAh battery provides one full day of use. Fully transparent lenses do not interfere with interacting with the world, plus from the outside it is almost impossible to understand that these are smart glasses and that they are active right now. Bosch is currently looking for partners who can turn technology into a commercial product.
