Technology continues to advance and evolve, bringing new ways for users to make the most of new gadgets and devices. One of the latest types of tech to start making waves is audio glasses. While the notion of listening to music or talking on the phone through speakers connected to your glasses might seem a bit silly, these smart glasses have been getting quite a bit of attention. Razer is just the latest company to release audio glasses, and experts say we could see even more companies taking advantage of the benefits offered by this new tech. “Smart glasses are a great form factor of wearable technology that can replace separate watch and headphone accessories while being more accessible directly to your senses,” Fawad Ahmed, a growth manager at Resemble.ai, told Lifewire via email. “Having smart glasses with audio has a lot of great uses for day-to-day use, such as listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and other auditory content while still being connected to the world around you,” Ahmed said. “There’s also the benefit of not having them fall off during workouts or other activities, compared to regular earbuds, or being potentially more comfortable to wear than large headphones.”
What’s the Sitch
While audio glasses sound like something straight out of a spy movie, the tech is actually a lot more grounded than you might think. Some pairs use bone-conduction audio speakers—which send the sound signals through your skull. Others, like Bose’s latest offerings, go for a more open sound design that is loud and clear enough for you to hear without the sound bleeding out to those around you. “The benefits of smart glasses over a standard pair—aside from the bluelight blocking filters—are that they can help create a more immersive virtual auditory experience,” Ahmed explained. “This is possible by having the speakers close to the ear without acting as a plug. Overall this makes audio quality in virtual conferencing a lot more bearable by blending both experiences.” It’s a precarious thing to balance, and one that we’ll no doubt become cleaner as the technology advances. Of course, this technology is still evolving, and some reviewers have pointed out that the audio isn’t as good as you might get from standard headphones, like Apple AirPods. Still, the ability to replace your headphones with something you wear every day might be appealing to people, and for good reason. Users who rely heavily on voice assistants to get through their day could find useful ways to jot down notes without having to clog up their ears with bulky headphones or earbuds. Audio glasses also keep your ears completely clear, which means you always can hear what is going on around you. This is extremely important for joggers or bikers, or anyone out in public listening to music or talking on the phone, as they’ll be able to hear if someone approaches them or if a vehicle is coming their way.
The Future is Bright
While the experience of audio glasses appears to be fairly basic at the moment, Ahmed thinks there are potential future applications, particularly in communications, that could help push the wearable towards more users. “I can see this technology being a part of daily life and creating a more immersive blend between digital and virtual,” he told us. “A great example of this would be to have a better interaction with virtual voice assistants, or even create live translations of your voice when communicating with people.” He said that Resemble AI is working on AI-based voice technology capable of creating realistic synthetic voice clones. “Glasses, like those by Bose and Razer down the line, can allow for a person’s synthetic voice that sounds exactly like them, to speak in other languages when traveling to a foreign country.”
