Headphones can be isolating, Smart Glasses offer a new option
Bluetooth headphone usage has exploded over the past few years freeing people from being tethered to their devices. One of the drawbacks, however, is that headphones also cut you off from the world, especially the noise cancelling variety. Sometimes this is great, but there are also times that being connected to both sound and your environment might be preferable. Maybe a walk in the woods where mixing your favorite music and the sounds of nature would make for a great playlist. Or a walk along a busy street where hearing approaching traffic is a safety issue while you’re listening to a conference call. Both scenarios present opportunities where a co-connected audio experience might be preferable.
The rapid adoption of wearable technology allows us to re-imagine how traditional activities are carried out. Let’s face it, audio earbuds or headphones are extremely one-sided for the consumer. They put out a signal to everyone around them that they don’t want to be bothered. Have you ever had that awkward interaction with someone trying to talk over their headphones? Thankfully, a host of new wearable technologies is enabling different audio experiences leveraging ‘bone-conducting’ tech, a practice thought to have been originally used by Ludwig Von Beethoven to compose music as he was virtually deaf. Bone Conduction has come a long way since Beethoveen’s time with development used to help people with hearing loss and further refined to deliver music and audio through bluetooth wearables like glasses.
More Than Just Speaker Sunglasses
Miniaturization in wearables is driving rapid advancements in form and function and over just the past couple years, audio-enabled glasses which were noticeably bulky and a bit wired just a couple years ago, now are almost indistinguishable from regular glasses. In fact, many smart glasses today also offer the ability to integrate prescriptions, readers and sun-protection. One brand, Lucyd, has been leading the development of smart glasses for several years with the ultimate goal of creating full featured AR glasses that provide a range of technical features, including a connected audio experience. Crowd-funded from its inception, Lucyd has a vibrant community of supporters that are helping to drive the direction of the brand.
“I mostly fire up my Google Assistant, with a double click on the right arm, to check the weather, play the news and read out my schedule and then launch some tunes from Spotify.” – Prans Dunn
Lucyd helps eliminate the social barrier creating a new connected experience that isn’t as isolating as headphones. Lucyd truly adds “smart” into glasses by enabling consumers to seamlessly play music, take phone calls, and chat with their phone’s assistant while keeping their ears free and clear. New usage occasions are created that fill the space between full audio immersion and connected environment functionality.
"Lucyd's form factor is industry-leading as it looks, feels and wears like a standard fashion frame with top Rx options...it's just loaded with functional Tech features useful in one's daily routine". – Calvin Peters, Lucyd eCommerce Manager
Opportunity to Invest...
Want to be part of the Lucyd story? We were founded as a crowd-funded company and still have opportunities for tech-focused investors to get involved. Join the thousands of investors that have decided to become part of eyewear’s future.
