Rob Lynch.

NEW YORK— VSP Global will be pushing further into the wearable technology market when it unveils a prototype of a sensor-equipped eyeglass frame on Friday at International Vision Expo, VMail has learned.

The prototype, which VSP calls Project Genesis, is the first original product to be designed and engineered by The Shop, the technology incubator and lab that VSP launched last summer. According to VSP, Project Genesis is “the first wearable product from a health care company to seamlessly integrate health tracking technology into a pair of frames with the end goal of providing actionable and contextualized health data to the wearer.”

The company told VMail it is currently pilot testing the prototype with a group of 26 employees through its employee wellness program. The pilot testers are providing feedback on the device and app, allowing Shop employees to apply hardware and software fixes throughout the testing period prior to a rollout, VSP Global said.


Jay Sales.

Rob Lynch, CEO, VSP Global said, “As disruption continues to change our industry, VSP Global businesses need to stay ahead of the curve and provide forward-thinking solutions that meet the changing eyecare and eyewear needs of consumers. With an understanding of a rapidly changing marketplace and increased expectations from our clients and members, The Shop’s purpose is to drive technological advancements that are helping to shape tomorrow’s optical industry.”

“VSP Global is uniquely poised in this space because we stand as a leader with one foot in health care and one foot in the world of fashion,” said Leslie Muller, vice president of design for VSP’s Marchon Eyewear division and co-lead of The Shop. “The Project Genesis prototype is a perfect marriage of those two fields, seamlessly marrying everyday glasses with health tracking technology with the end goal of personalizing and contextualizing an individual’s health.”


Leslie Muller.

The Shop operates from two locations. The Shop West, in Sacramento, Calif., develops software and hardware and focuses on delivering better eyecare and products to patients and better workflow services to doctors. The Shop East, in New York City, uses industrial design, alternative manufacturing and materials, and other technologies to explore how eyewear is created, utilized and worn.

The Shop has established a partnership with MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, an interdisciplinary initiative by the MIT Media Lab that is exploring the boundary between computer science and physical science. The partnership allows The Shop to gain IP access to over 300 projects and collaborate alongside various companies who are exploring how to advance their industries. Areas of exploration include advanced materials research with composites like carbon fiber as well as disruptive technologies in alternative manufacturing.

“The Shop’s partnerships with some of the top research institutions in the world are allowing us to expand our thinking and collaborate in ways we never thought possible,” said Jay Sales, innovation strategist, VSP Global and co-lead of The Shop. “Through these collaborations, we’re looking ahead five, 10, 15 years down the road at potential disruptions from inside and outside the industry that will propel us forward in new and exciting ways.”

VSP Global established a presence in the wearable tech market last year through a partnership with Google involving the Glass Explorer program, as VMail and others have reported. The program enabled Glass Explorers to tap into VSP’s network of eyecare providers who were being trained and certified to fit Glass. VSP also produced prescription lenses for Glass at its VSPOne labs.