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LAS VEGAS—Innovative vision technology is becoming more and more visible every year at CES, the annual mega meeting and trade show which drew more than 180,000 attendees here last week. From the latest mixed reality glasses for gamers to a tiny clip-on device that enables blind people to navigate their surrounds more easily, the full scope of vision tech was on display. Vision tech’s prominence was underscored by the fact that several exhibitors won CES Innovation Awards. One of the biggest winners was Human Capable, which won the CES 2020 Best of Innovation award in the Headphones & Personal Audio category for its Norm smart glasses.

The Florida-based company was also named a CES 2020 Innovation Honoree in the Home Audio or Video Components & Accessories, Computer Hardware & Components, Digital Imaging or Photography, Embedded Technologies, Fitness & Sports, Health & Wellness, Mobile Devices & Accessories, Smart Cities categories. As CMO Alberto Rivera explained to VMAIL, Norm glasses are normal sunglasses that can be fit with prescription lenses. They feature an android-based OS, voice user interface, dual speakers, camera, and a heads-up display that can show digital content in user's field of view. Norm glasses weigh less than 36 grams.

In the Health & Wellness category, Lexilens, an electronic eyeglass that enables children with dyslexia to read, was recognized. The glasses, which won a Silmo d’Or award in 2019, are easy to use, comfortable to wear and look like conventional eyeglasses, so children won’t be stigmatized when using them at-school. “We worked with optician experts to ensure the adaptation of Lexilens to any sight correction,” company CEO Michael Kodochain told VMAIL.

In the Wearable Technology category, 5th Dimension was honored for its smart glasses, which use bone conduction technology to transmit sound to the inner ear without going through the ear horn and eardrum. One version of the glasses is connected to a smart phone via Bluetooth 5.0. Four microphones and a touch-sensitive surface on the temples let wearers answer calls, talk and hang up without having their phone nearby. Wearers also have access to their voice assistant to read text messages or search the internet. Designed by opticians, the connected glasses are compatible with prescription lenses.


 
 
Michael Kodochian displayed Lexilens glasses, a solution for dyslexia. Robert Spirito, left, and Andrew Hyncik of Zeiss, were on hand to show the company's new SmartLife lenses to CES attendees. Alberto Rivera of Human Capable with Norm smart glasses.

Among the other notable vision tech companies at CES 2020 was Zeiss, which debuted SmartLife, a new lens design concept that addresses the evolving visual needs and challenges posed by today’s digital, busy lifestyle. The concept is based on SmartLife Technologies, a proprietary lens design technology developed to address the visual requirements of people interacting with their handheld devices.


EyeQue introduced EyeQue Try-On Glasses, offering users of its smartphone vision tests the ability to order low-cost eyeglasses based on their EyeGlass Numbers (EGNs)..
OrCam demoed new features for its MyEye 2, its award-winning artificial vision device for blind and vision impaired people that discreetly reads printed and digital text aloud and can recognize faces and gestures. The soon-to-be-released features include interactive reading/natural language processing (NLP). OrCam won a Best Innovations of CES 2020 Award in the Accessibility category for its new Orcam Hear, an AI-driven, wearable assistive technology device for people with hearing impairment.

EyeQue introduced EyeQue Try-On Glasses, offering users of its award-winning smartphone vision tests the ability to order low-cost eyeglasses based on their EyeGlass Numbers (EGNs), the custom lens power required to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. John Serri, PhD., co-founder and president of EyeQue, told VMAIL that EyeQue Try-On Glasses are “a low-risk way for consumers to quickly confirm the results of their self-administered smartphone tests. Consumers happy with their Try-Ons can confidently order higher priced glasses from various online retailers using the same EGNs. Consumers who are not completely satisfied can return the glasses for a full refund.” The EyeQue Try-On Glasses will be available in limited quantity in February and will roll out on EyeQue.com in April 2020.



Nreal made a splash with its mixed reality glasses.
Nreal, a Chinese start-up, drew lots of interest from attendees with its mixed reality glasses which combine computer graphics with real world views. The glasses look more like conventional eyewear than those of competitors.

To learn more about the latest vision technologies on display at CES 2020, watch for VMAIL’s exclusive slideshow later this week.