Amazon Set to Disrupt Wearable Tech Market with Smart Glasses

In a bid to assert its dominance in the tech world, Amazon is reportedly gearing up to challenge competitors Snapchat and Google in the budding wearable smart glass market. According to a report by the Financial Times, the tech giant’s approach stands apart from its competition — the distinctive feature of its smart glasses wouldn’t be the ability to capture photos or videos, but rather the opportunity to engage with Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service.

Drawing from the privacy controversies that surrounded the launch of Google’s smart glasses – which enabled users to view content on-the-go – Amazon appears to have taken a different approach. Instead of focusing on visuals, the company aims to offer a smart glass variant that interacts more with its surroundings. The focus on audio would offer users a contextually aware voice assistant while on the move.

The technology Amazon hopes to capitalize on for this venture is known as “bone-conduction audio”. This unique form of sound transmission bypasses usual airwaves by directing sound through the jaw or cheek bones, which eventually reaches the inner ear. By circumventing traditional ear paths, the process helps reduce noise pollution and potential damage to the eardrums.

This isn’t the first application of bone-conduction technology in wearable tech. Google Glasses, which were once an ambitious Google project, also utilized this technology, which heralds back to its use in certain hearing aids. With vibrations from the smart glasses’ frames transmitting sound to the bones of the wearer, Amazon’s design could revolutionize the integration of technology into our daily lives. However, details on aesthetics of the product or potential design partners remain undisclosed.

In a broader perspective, Amazon seems to be expanding its home Echo device premise to the world of mobile wearables. The smart glasses offer consumers the chance to carry Alexa around, extending the smart home experience beyond the confines of the house.

Meanwhile, Facebook, too, has eyes set on the fast-evolving smart glasses market. Though no timeline has been announced, the market’s potential is inarguable. With an estimated worth of $34 billion by 2020, and with around 400 million wearable devices projected to be in circulation, the smart glasses war is only heating up.

With Amazon’s entry into wearable tech, the future is certain to hold exciting possibilities for how we engage with technology.