We recently got an opportunity to demo Epson’s Moverio BT-200 smart glasses at a technology showcase in Toronto.
While Google Glass has been getting the lion’s share of media attention for wearable technology in glasses form so far, Epson’s Moverio product might actually do certain things better than Google’s product. What makes the two products different is that while Google Glass offers a small screen over one eye that you must move your gaze up and to the side to focus on, Epson’s product sits squarely in front of your vision and takes up 35 degrees of your view. You can still see everything transparently through the screen and then digital layers can be placed on top of those physical objects.
Originally made as a way for people to watch movies – and more popular for that in Asian and European markets than in North America – Epson has recently realized there’s more potential to the hardware and is working with some developers to unlock that. Hit play on the video above to see a couple examples of how Moverio could help workers repair machinery or even stock a store shelf.