Without a doubt, these past months have been extremely difficult as the global community deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our world will forever be changed from this point on as we work to minimize future impacts while gaining knowledge about this virus. One upside we can expect over the long-term is clear: the crisis will provoke much-needed innovation.
One innovation we are actively developing for in the healthcare/medical segment is wireless charging for smart glasses. While smart glasses were being used in the medical industry well before the onset of COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated demand for the products because of the many purposes they serve, and adoption has grown significantly.
According to a recent report from Grand View Research, Inc., the global smart glasses market is expected to grow to nearly $10 billion by 2025. Whether it’s remote patient care or helping first responders detect fevers, there are a number of new features being packed into these products. Take Vuzix’s expansion into remote care for COVID-19 patients using its M400 smart glasses as an example.
Smart glasses are also used in many of today’s manufacturing facilities, offering enhanced application-specific functions for workers. Manufacturers are simultaneously prioritizing wireless charging in smart glasses more than ever to not only enable more convenient charging options but to also allow for improved durability and waterproof designs.
In a large manufacturing facility where smart glasses are in use, plugging in thousands of units at the end of a shift is not only labor-intensive but can also lead to damaged charging connectors. By incorrectly inserting the USB charging plug into the smart glasses, damage can be done to the charging connector, rendering the units inoperable. With wireless charging, next-generation smart glasses designs can be connector-free, enabling a more durable, waterproof design. Waterproof designs are rapidly becoming more desired as they allow each unit to be fully sanitized without the worry of damage to the electronics through the USB connector.
I’d like to invite you to attend the next Energous Corporation webinar, where we will be speaking about the latest trends in the smart glasses industry as well as some of the unique technical hurdles that our WattUp wireless charging solves. During this webinar, we will also be joined by Matt Margolis, Director of Business Development and Strategic Relationships at Vuzix, a leader in Augmented Reality (AR) technology.
