Tech and eyewear companies worldwide have committed to bringing smart eyewear to the mainstream and are rightfully seeing more and more success. Recent data from Research And Markets revealed that the global smart glasses market is estimated to grow from $878.8 million in 2024 to $4.12 billion in 2030. This is due to various factors, including the growing adoption of smart glasses in the industrial sector and an increased demand for augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) smart glasses.
Meanwhile, developments in 5G technologies and widespread high-speed Internet connectivity help boost the functionality and specs of smart glasses for various use cases, both for personal use and increasing efficiency in different industries.
Some of the rapid technological advancements that are helping further the smart glasses movement include augmented reality, displays, and sensors. Smart glasses are increasingly used in the manufacturing, healthcare, warehousing, and construction industries. Smart eyewear can be used for purposes like remote assistance, employee training, and achieving tasks while hands-free. Smart glasses are also a preferred alternative to help boost safety for workers.
As technologies continue to develop, smart glasses brands and manufacturers will continue to adopt the latest innovations to improve their offerings. In this post, we’ll look at how technologies like IoT and artificial intelligence are helping revolutionise the smart eyewear industry:
The impact of IoT on smart eyewear
The rise of smart homes and wearable technologies in the past years is proof that the Internet of Things can help increase efficiency, improve safety, and even save more costs. As smart glasses become increasingly popular, companies and manufacturers are already trying to fit them into potential IoT systems to boost functionality.
For example, a Journal of Physics study proposes that smart technologies can be maximised to help people with disabilities, including those who are Deaf, Dumb, or Blind. In the study, researchers state that the use of machine learning algorithms and mixing technologies like text-to-speech conversion and sensors with smart glasses can help blind wearers detect objects in their environment and navigate foreign places more safely.
Meanwhile, for wearers who may be hard of hearing or Deaf, smart glasses can be used with other devices and sensors to provide real-time alerts or notifications for doorbells, knocks, and other surrounding sounds or noises that may otherwise be challenging to hear.
Nowadays, the increased demand for Wi-Fi 6/6E helps power IoT systems. As the number of IoT devices continues to grow, both consumers and businesses will demand seamless and high-speed connectivity. For one, an essential advantage of Wi-Fi 6/6E is its ability to handle more connected devices in a network. The higher data rates also mean reduced latency, so devices like smart eyewear can respond instantaneously to signals and queries from other devices.
The impact of AI on smart eyewear
Aside from the Internet of Things, many new smart glasses on the market focus on AI integration. So far, AI integration has been used to integrate smart assistants into eyewear. This has especially become popular in this age of generative text and voice AI.
The latest update to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, for example, integrated Meta’s AI technology along with other built-in tech into popular Ray-Ban sunglasses, like the classic Wayfarer shape. Today, the Wayfarer remains a very popular Ray-Ban silhouette. Still, the Ray-Ban Meta recently introduced a Skyler variant, so there’s no ruling out the introduction of Meta’s innovative technology to timeless designs like the Aviator in future updates.
With the Meta AI update, the Ray-Ban Meta not only allows wearers to capture images and videos with the built-in camera but also allows wearers to speak to the built-in Meta AI assistant using the high-quality mic built into the frames. So far, Meta’s AI assistant is used a bit like secret ChatGPT, where wearers can ask the AI questions, directions, advice, and translations based on what the glasses are looking at.
Today, many other smart eyewear have built-in AI capabilities. This includes the upgraded Vuzix Blade, which is also known for its augmented reality features. The XReal One also uses AI mixed with advanced AR for specific tasks like head tracking and spatial computing. Meanwhile, smart glasses like the Nautica smart glasses from Lucyd function more like the Ray-Ban Meta, going as far as providing AI-powered conversational capabilities.
Even Google, the company credited with the first-ever commercialised (albeit short-lived) smart glasses attempt, is aiming to make a return to the smart eyewear market. Recently, hidden code was found in the latest update for the company’s driving companion Android Auto beta that points to potential smart glasses support in the future, as well as previews of Google’s vision for Android XR and other immersive in-car tech.
Based on the hidden code, Google seems to be working on a way to integrate smart glasses into Android Auto’s navigation features. Aside from offering hands-free interactivity with in-car tech, smart glasses interaction with Android Auto will also likely use AI such as Google’s own Gemini AI assistant.
