Video eyewear hasn’t been the most practical — or even quality — technology to emerge over the past 10 years, but it still carries an essence of the future with it. And while they’re not any more practical, Lumus Technologies’ 720p DK-32 see-through video eyewear struck enough of a balance between picture quality, wearability and that future factor for my enjoyment.
The first thing you notice about these glasses is how light, non-bulky and relatively normal-looking they are. There’s no black box you need to peer into, there’s no awkward fit in your face, and the tech is unobtrusive enough that they could alllllllllmost be designed into something you wouldn’t be totally embarrassed to wear.
As for performance, the tech is very interesting, but what you’d actually use it for, I have no idea. The picture well defined and sharp, but because the picture is see through, the colours aren’t exactly what you’d call rich. When things are projected against a black background, it’s easier to watch a video and see everything going on IRL. But when you have an actual video clip — like a plane flying around in the sky during the day — you become blind to everything behind it. Long story short, it’s a neat concept, but until someone can fit this tech into a somewhat normal pair of glasses without the need to connect to another device for content, video glasses like this are pretty pointless.