Sony SmartGlasses Attach head-ups display concept revealed at CES

At the recent CES show in Las Vegas, electronics giant Sony released the SmartGlasses Attach concept, a heads-up display much like the now discontinued Google Glass or ReconJet. The key difference however is - and the clue’s in the name - the Sony concept attaches to any existing glasses. That means you could attach it to your favourite cycling eyewear for a ride, and remove it afterwards.

The SmartGlasses Attach is packed with Bluetooth, WiFi and other sensors, while a small OLED displays hovers just above your eye and provides a heads-up display. You could, for example, have a map displayed right in front of your eye, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road and look down at the GPS device on your handlebars. Or you could display speed, compass or route directions. It’s still a concept and Sony are set to release a development kit so it would be interesting to see what other possible applications there are for it A Strava app perhaps showing when you're in a live segment?

The idea is that the screen is unobtrusive when you’re looking straight ahead, so you’re not likely to be distracted by the small display, good to know when you’re negotiating tricky country lane descents or heavy traffic in the city. You need to make a conscious effort to look at the screen. The attraction of the Sony SmartGlasses Attach is that, unlike Google Glass and ReconJet, you can remove it from your glasses or sunglasses when you’re done riding your bike, and not like a bit daft when you walk into the office or cafe.

Do we even need head-mounted displays like this? That’s another question entirely, there’s certainly a lot of speculation in the tech world about their future, but there really hasn’t been a credible offering as yet. Google Glass wasn’t met with the warmest reception, never actually went into production and has now been axed. Maybe Sony can succeed where Google failed?

It’s not due out until sometime this year, and there’s no indication of price. road.cc would certainly be interested in giving it a go.