Smart’ eyewear hits market

Radar Pace, which was jointly developed by Luxottica brand Oakley and technology giant Intel, is ‘smart’ eyewear designed to help athletes of all skill levels improve their training by providing useful information and immediate feedback.Doubling as sunglasses fitted with Oakley’s Prizm lenses, the product is equipped with external sensors, earbuds and a microphone, and interacts with a smartphone app. It features a voice-activated coaching syst that is said to be able to respond naturally to questions asked by the wearer.{{quote-A:R-W:450-Q: The product is equipped with external sensors, earbuds and a microphone, and interacts with a smartphone app. }}It is also able to record and interpret performance data such as heart rate, speed and distance in real-time to create tailored training programs and deliver personalised audio instruction and motivation.Mr Scott Smith, vice president of strategic partnerships at Luxottica, described Radar Pace as “a new standard in eyewear”.“It is an effective delivery mechanism for data that delivers real-time, compelling data through audio,” he said. “Combining expertise from two brands grounded in innovation, we created a blueprint to develop a product that will potentially redefine the eyewear industry – leveraging the right interface for training, while merging Oakley’s design and Intel’s technology.”Mr Josh Walden, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s new technology group, added, “Through our collaboration, we have challenged each other to reinvent what is possible – each bringing our expertise to the office, lab, track or road. The end result is a powerful and innovative product…”Radar Pace is being distributed via Oakley’s local website, Oakley ‘O’ stores and selected sports-related retailers.