While smart glasses haven’t quite become the consumer product that Google envisioned back in the day, it has definitely found its place in commercial settings, with many companies using them to help their workers in various everyday tasks. Still, there are several companies making a play at more niche applications of smart glass technologies for consumers, like using it as a smartwatch replacement or a motorcycle HUD. The Minimis Glass is a new wearable that looks to function as a fitness HUD during training.
Billed as standalone sunglasses for displaying stats and maps, the device can show beam your fitness metrics and turn-by-turn navigation directly within your line of sight, allowing you to train without having to glance at your GPS sports watch. If you like keeping track of your performance numbers while running, biking, or doing any other sport, this thing offers a way to keep a constant lock on how you’re doing without taking your eyes off the road at any point.
The Minimis Glass is a standalone smart glass, which doesn’t require a smartphone or a smartwatch to operate. That means, it has its own mini-computer in there, along with all the sensors needed for activity tracking. A tiny OLED display sits in the upper third of the lens, delivering 1080p resolution with 500 nits of brightness, so this should show very clear text and images. Other hardware details include a 64-bit quad-core Qualcomm CPU, a Qualcomm Adreno 702 GPU, 2G of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage.
What can it do? Its main function seems to be replacing your fitness tracker entirely, as it can detect your key performance metrics like time, speed, distance, and power, then display it with a mere one second delay. The device is also equipped with Bluetooth and ANT+, so you can use it with third-party sensors to track metrics like a chest strap for measuring heart rate. According to the outfit, cyclists can even pair it with the Garmin Varia for safety on the road.
The Minimis Glass also comes with navigation functions, so it can show you turn-by-turn directions directly on a map. Yes, it’s fully standalone, too, with no need to pair with a phone, so we’re guessing there’s also a GPS chip somewhere in that frame. So how long can this run on batteries with that GPS in there? Apparently, a decent amount of time, as the 1300 mAh onboard battery is rated at seven hours of continuous operation between charges, which, honestly, isn’t bad.
As for the eyewear itself, it’s a wraparound pair of sports sunglasses, with all the familiar elements that make them ideal for training. You get the wraparound shape that wears securely on the face, while blocking glare, wind, and dust from all directions, so you can train without getting hassled by the elements. It’s also water-resistant and non-slip, while the lenses get anti-fog coating. It has a top-only frame and wide temples that, we’re assuming, houses a good load of the electronics. This thing uses polarized transition lenses, by the way, so it can lighten and darken depending on ambient light, allowing you to clearly see whether you do your training indoors or outdoors.
You can learn more about the Minimis Glass from the link below.