Google Glass was supposed to revolutionize eyewear.
The technology behind it was cool. Google had loads of money to support the endeavor. An eventual partnership with Luxottica gave it optical industry cache.
And yet… the revolution fizzled along the way. Google finally pulled the plug – after trying different iterations – after 10 years this past March.
Augmented reality eyewear has retained its siren song of possibilities to the tech giants, among them Apple, Meta, and the aforementioned Google. However, both functionality and success in the AR eyewear realm remain frustratingly theoretical. In fact, the most recently speculation is that Apple is years away from bringing an AR product to market.
Smart glasses presumably have been on the verge of upending the eyewear industry for years. For instance, our December 2020 issue featured this article: “Smart Glasses Are Our Reality.” Obviously, the smart glasses takeover hasn’t happened… yet.
However, technology continues to advance. And, really, it only takes one company to make the breakthrough and help smart eyewear spread beyond its current niche consumer market.
Innovative Eyewear is making its play to be that industry trendsetter. The company recently announced the release of the first ChatGPT-enabled smart eyewear. Innovative Eyewear, which develops and retails smart eyewear under the Eddie Bauer, Lucyd, and Nautica brands, will host an Eyewear Fashion Show Thursday, April 20 in Miami to showcase its 2023 Spring Collection.
The Lucyd Lyte 2.0 smart eyewear line is powered by the company’s patent pending Lucyd app. (The app is free during the open beta period.)
“We believe that our smart eyewear app, integrating ChatGPT, marks a paradigm shift in the fashion eyewear market,” said Innovative Eyewear CEO Harrison Gross in a press release. “It’s our view that a great pair of smart glasses is defined by three key factors: beautiful design, innovative technology, and suitability for all-day wear.”
According to the company, its latest smart eyewear line also features: Quadrasonic speakers, open-ear audio, noise cancellation microphones, polarized UV 400 lenses, and 12-hour battery life.