We’ve already written lots about Vuzix: how it’s focusing on enterprise and industry instead of the consumer market, how it’s the first actual commercially shipping eyewear wearable. Nothing in this business stands still, though, and Vuzix continues to move ahead.
We caught up with CEO Paul Travers at Mobile World Congress. One new product the company’s showing is a thin panel using waveguide technology. Said Travers, the device is “1.4mm thin, with nano grating imprinted on the surface that squeezes the image … and channels it from a tiny input to a large output in front of the eye.” Like the Recon Snow2, the display fits into a glasses form.
It’s pretty cool. At the moment, the panel had some color shifting depending on the exact angle you look through it, but it was a prototype. Travers said he hoped to ship into the commercial/industrial market within a year to 18 months.
The M100 glass also got some tweaks. The user interface, which had been tile-based, now shows icons scrolling in a gallery format. Moreover, users can now scroll through the gallery by waving their hands forward or backward next to the unit — not physical contact required. That’s particularly useful in applications where the user needs to wear gloves or other protective gear.