Amazon bones up on history with eye on ‘smart glasses’
Centuries-old technique — bone conduction — to power group’s new high-tech eyewear
By Tim Bradshaw
As Amazon joins the race to the face, its new “smart glasses” are powered by an old technology — bone conduction.
Silicon Valley seems to have an obsession with high-tech eyewear. Unlike most headsets that have been launched to date, Amazon’s Alexa-powered glasses are expected to focus on audio features rather than graphics or video.
From bulky contraptions such as Facebook’s Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and Microsoft’s “mixed reality” HoloLens to more lightweight smartphone accessories such as Google Glass and Snap’s Spectacles, the tech industry seems convinced that bringing screens, speakers and sensors as close as possible to our eyes and ears will lead to greater productivity, more immersive entertainment or hands-free computing.
So far, consumers are not buying it: none of these head-worn devices has sold in significant volumes. But that does not seem to be stopping tech companies from trying new designs and applications for face computers.
According to people familiar with its plans, Amazon is working on Alexa-powered glasses that…
