Vuzix Corporation has entered into a development agreement with a major consumer electronics brand to develop and incorporate Vuzix advanced see-through waveguide optics technology into a pair of next generation Smart Glasses. The agreement represents a first for Vuzix, offering a clear path toward a potential OEM partner to support commercialization of its next generation optics technology for Smart Glasses.
Under the contract, Vuzix and the Tier 1 brand will work together to develop advanced waveguide based Smart Glasses prototypes that include Vuzix see-through optics engines. It is anticipated that this first phase, expected to be completed in 2015, will be followed by a series of further programs that could result in the introduction of the resulting Smart Glasses into a commercial production solution. The final goal is to create a line of Smart Glasses that have the look and feel of designer sunglasses. At the request of the customer, both the name of the brand and details of the contract are being withheld.
ABI Research forecasts the wearable computing device market to grow to 485 million annual device shipments by 2018 with more than 75 million of these to be in the smart glasses category. Smart glasses and other wearable devices are expected to be worth over $1.5 billion by 2014 according to Juniper Research.
"As mentioned above, many analysts and industry executives are expecting this space to exhibit continued rapid growth. This was evident at CES last week. With the anticipated growth in this sector, those wearable products that address the real needs of the customer stand to garner the largest market share," commented Paul Travers, President of Vuzix. "Being able to develop Smart Glasses that look like designer eyewear is critical. The waveguide see-through optics we have developed here at Vuzix have the ability to achieve that design goal. The resources and commercial reach that may be brought to us from a relationship with a major electronics brand have the ability to create a winning combination."
