We’re all getting used to the idea of Google glasses and other similar products, but what about products who wear glasses for their vision? PixelOptics has released the worlds first and only glasses that electronically adjust their focus.
The technology behind these glasses was developed at the University of Arizona. Essentially, the glasses consist of two pieces of glass, between which there is a layer of liquid crystals. An electronic charge can be applied to the liquid crystals, which in turn changes the orientation of them, and therefore the optical path length is changed.
PixelOptics has used the research done at the University of Arizona, and come up with a product of their own, called emPower!. The great thing about these glasses is that the focus can be changed extremely quickly, and without any moving parts that can be broken. The focus can be changed using two different methods. Firstly, the wearer can simply tap the arm of the glasses, and they will change focus. Alternatively, using an accelerometer inside the arm of the glasses, the focus will change automatically when the wearer looks down to read.
Because of the fact that the glasses are electronic, they also require a battery. The emPower! glasses come with a charging dock, and they can be fully charged in around two hours, and this will last roughly two or three days.
PixelOptics emPower! glasses come in 36 different styles, and run for around $1000 to $1200. While they certainly do not come cheap, they could prove to be extremely helpful for people who need glasses in order to see properly.
