Training yourself to run a marathon or getting athletes in peak conditioning takes commitment and consistency. Kopin’s Solos smart glasses and app are designed to be worn in active environments like in indoor and outdoor cycling, while out for a run, or during training sessions. VR Fitness Insider is thrilled to have demoed Solos at CES 2018, Las Vegas!
What are Solos?
With over 3 years of development time, the Massachusetts based company has had quite a journey leading to CES. They first started on Kickstarter where they received support from 412 backers with over $100K. This level of backing helped their team learn more about how to design their product for their active audience.
Solos smart glasses have an integrated design with a 16X9 transparent visual display (WQVGA) that projects customizable metrics like elapsed time, distance, speed, power zones, and calories. The AR glasses will also project elevation and oxygenation levels onto the sun blocking Trivex Polymer lenses.
There are 3 optical adjustments at the projector to move it up and down at two hinge spots, and a slidable IPD (interpupillary distance) that moves in and out at the same hinge mechanism. Solos glasses are pretty much the smartwatch for your face and can be used for activities like running and jogging, for indoor and outdoor cycling, and anywhere there’s sun in your eye or there’s a need for data.
Compatibility
The smart glasses and app pair with Android and iOS smartphones (at least version 5.0 for Android, 9.0 for iOS), but are looking to unpair and be a sole product that doesn’t rely on an app in the future. Bicycle, heart rate, and speed sensors like ANT+, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth LE are also compatible with Solos.
The Solos app can be linked to fit apps like Strava, MapMyRide, Training Peaks, with social media sharing on Facebook and Twitter. So if your running group stops and takes a picture on the top of a mountainside you can easily share it.
Benefits of Wearing Solos
Athletes and trainers from the U.S. Olympic Cycling Team were sponsored by Solos for the Rio Games in 2016. Wearing Solos keeps athletes in touch with each other during training, but also serves as a great strategy during competition. Have you ever seen a pod of cyclists attempting to break past other cyclists? Those are pivotal lane-changing moments.
There’s no competition better than yourself. Get ghost feedback, or old activity data, projected onto the glasses to track progress, if you’ve met your goals, or which areas to give more effort. The ghost feedback is great for seeing how long rides or runs go for and can save their wearer’s favorite routes.
Working with the GPS in your smartphone, Solos gives their users at-a-glance visual information and clear audio cues so athletes won’t have to fidget with their phones, look down, or make a wrong turn and lose training momentum. In case you need the directions for both the glasses and a visual map, their app will bring up a customized route to get you back to making progress for up to 6 hours.
The Future
“2018 will be a very exciting year for Kopin and represents the culmination of years of development,” Dr. John C.C. Fan, CEO of Kopin said in a statement. “At CES we will unveil a range of Innovation Award-winning technologies and devices that will transform the worlds of AR, VR and wearables. We invite everyone to experience our new generation Solos Smart Glasses at our booth (Sands Expo #45031) and to visit our demo suite to see our OLED microdisplays, Elf Reference Design and ‘Eagle’ home theater headset.”
Developers should keep their ear to the ground because the Solos System Toolkit and Application Program Interface, or STK API, is expected to be opening soon, so keep checking their site for more information.
Where To Find Solos
There’s no release date available for Solos smart glasses, but potential customers can contact them via a fill-in form, or hold a spot in line by clicking Reserve Now and filling out a form there as well. If you do get your hands on a pair, there’s a one year warranty on the Solos smart glasses, so if you’re not happy with the purchase you can return it.
If you’re walking around and exploring CES 2018 in Las Vegas, from January 9-12, please check out Solos at Sands, Halls A-D at Booth #45031.