Tracking Health-Focused Advances in Wearable Technology Through Eyewear

Introduction:

Tracking Health-Focused Advances in Wearable Technology Through Eyewear- Wearables have come a long way since they were invented in the 1300s. An Investopedia piece notes that, after evolving from devices as simple as timepieces, today’s wearables now leverage microprocessors that allow them to do much more. 

The modern smartwatch, for example, can accurately track various health metrics in real-time, then, using IoT (Internet of Things) modules, can seamlessly transmit that data to users and doctors for proactive health management. Further advancements have allowed patches, rings, and even tattoo inks to deliver the same benefits and even monitor specific conditions like Parkinson’s, exemplifying how wearables are currently most effectively used in healthcare. 

To track the latest innovations in health-focused wearable tech, however, it’s useful to focus on eyewear. Eyeglasses were arguably the first kind of wearable ever created, and manufacturers in the modern age have prioritized digitalizing them, given how widely they’re used across the globe. In fact, data from Custom Market Insights reveals that the smart eyewear industry will be valued at roughly $33 billion by 2030 due to all the new functionalities they provide, especially health-wise. 

Here are just a few of the smart eyewear innovations that show just how advanced health-focused wearables have become. 

AI for visual assistance

Though visually impaired individuals have long benefited from smart devices like screen readers and Braille keyboards to navigate the modern world, AI-powered eyewear goes further by ensuring they can receive more intuitive assistance. The Ray-Ban Meta shows just what that looks like in real-time. This model takes its frames from popular Ray-Ban sunglasses, including Sunglass Hut bestsellers like the Wayfarer Classic, to provide visual appeal. However, it also doubles as AI glasses, as it can answer a user’s queries based on what they’re looking at. 

Supported by a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 processor, the Ray-Ban Meta’s live Meta AI assistant can conduct image analysis for navigation, landmark identification, and more, which already poses multiple benefits for the visually impaired. However, it adds even more functionality through its partnership with the volunteer organization Be My Eyes, which pairs blind and low-vision users with seeing helpers to assist them with everyday tasks. Now, the Ray-Ban Meta offers the visually impaired the ability to choose between human or AI helpers, allowing them to immediately receive assistance after making a simple voice command so they can streamline the more challenging parts of their daily routines. 

Beamforming technology for hearing 

Smart eyewear is also expanding its reach into the hearing aid industry. Though hearing aids are considered the most accessible and effective way to treat and manage hearing loss, the growth of this industry is largely being hampered by the stigma surrounding them. According to a Healthy Hearing report, many hard-of-hearing individuals forego wearing hearing aids, despite needing them, because they feel that the devices make them look and feel old or disabled. With intelligent eyewear solutions like Nuance glasses hitting the market, it’s clear that wearables can now merge multiple functionalities to help more hard-of-hearing users avail of assistive devices that suit them. Having received clearance from the US FDA as well as a CE marking from the EU, they’re now widely available through retailers like LensCrafters. 

Designed by Nuance Audio, these glasses have over-the-counter hearing aids built into their frames to create an “invisible” hearing solution that avoids stigma. Additional components, including open speakers and a beamforming microphone array, allow the glasses to focus on and clarify the sounds specifically coming from the direction in which the user is facing while simultaneously canceling out noises coming from other sources. This model can be doubly useful for wearers who also need vision correction, as it can also accommodate prescription lenses.

Biosensors for health management

Wearable technology has even become so advanced that its benefits for proactive health management, such as those offered by existing devices like smartwatches, can now be condensed into medical devices as small as contact lenses. At Asia’s Augmented World Expo last August, the deep-tech company XPANCEO debuted working prototypes for mixed reality (XR) contacts, with different variants available for a range of end users. 

Among those prototypes was a pair of lenses capable of monitoring various health metrics using biosensors. In our post, we note that these components have been proven to accurately measure the likes of blood oxygen and blood sugar levels, with XPANCEO’s lenses likely using a silicon-based biosensor chip compatible with similar materials, such as silicon hydrogel, typically used in contact lenses. However, these XR-focused contacts go even further. They can display those health measurements using immersive visuals meant to replace those usually provided by bulky VR headsets, illustrating how minuscule wearable technology can be without compromising the user experience.