Gadgetory

thus far the most prominent example of smart glasses has been Google's Google glass which is not the most attractive look but what if people didn't know you were wearing smart glasses more importantly what if you couldn't tell you were either I'm Adam Dowd reporting from CES 2016 and this is our first look at Carl Zeiss smart glasses brought to you by D brand the first thing you'll notice when viewing these smart glasses is nothing there's very little indication that the person you are talking to is wearing smart glasses at all these look like normal glasses with a bit of a thicker frame to the casual observer if you look closely a faint rectangle is the only evidence that these glasses are more than meets the eye from behind the glasses the wearer can access full-color augmented reality or app projections in their line of sight but if the wearer focuses away from the display it disappears this technology can be adapted to display phone screens notifications or anything else according to manufacturer specifications these glasses work by transmitting an image from the prism through a magnifying glass like area which directs the light to the display surface which is called the fernell structure this area is the part that displays the image the real trick here is that this technology has been developed as a curved lens the only curved lens smart glasses in the world this is important because this technology can be adapted into prescription lenses imagine the next time you visit your optician you can choose from glass plastic or smart lenses which would you choose I'm pretty sure I'd know my choice all this is the vision of the smart optics project which has been established as a startup by the Zeiss group but with full access to all of Zeiss resources and competencies our viewers might recognize Carl Zeiss as the maker of the Carl Zeiss optics of recent Lumia phones the smart optics group has developed prototype units and has perfected the manufacturing process they are ready to scale up to mass production in one they find the right partner they are ready to bring this to the masses once that happens perhaps we'll be able to order some spiffy smart spectacles with that expiring flex account pocket now CES 2016 coverage is made possible by D brand it's more than phone skins it's unlimited customization at your fingertips from Kevlar to carbon fiber to mahogany all of it custom cut for the most precise fit on earth so whether you're skinning your newest Android changing up your dull SmartWatch or putting life back into your old console choose D bram D brand saving the world from inferior skins one device at a time be sure to follow all of our coverage from CES and beyond at pocketnow.com subscribe and get our videos earlier follow us at pocket down on all the usual social media channels and don't forget to like this video and leave a comment i'm adam down with pocket now-dead technology on twitter reminding you to keep your glasses smart and your furnace friendly