XMReality Blog
Smart glasses provide users with hands-free operations, and depending on the industry you operate within or the use cases you foresee, different smart glasses can be beneficial to use. XMReality supports a variety of smart glasses provided by the market leaders: RealWear, Vuzix, Epson, and HoloLens 2 glasses. Which one of them suits you best for your specific use cases?
A few major components differ regarding smart glasses: a phone tethered or a stand-alone solution, voice or touch control, noise cancellation, certifications, screen size, and run time. Below, we will touch upon some of them.
Phone tethered or stand-alone
Epson smart glasses are connected to your phone or a handheld unit, using the internet, processing, and navigation directly from that unit, meaning it's phone tethered. In comparison, RealWear, Vuzix, and HoloLens 2 are stand-alone solutions (non-tethered) with the user interface and operating system on the smart glasses device. Phone-tethered solutions like Epson require installation of the XMReality application on the mobile phone, while the XMReality application will run directly to the smart glasses for RealWear, Vuzix, and HoloLens.
Navigation by hand tracking or voice commands
RealWear glasses are completely voice-controlled and can be configured in different languages. In comparison, Vuzix smart glasses could be controlled through voice commands or touchpads on the glasses. As the Epson glasses are a phone-tethered solution, the user will use their phone to navigate the XMReality application. Microsoft smart glasses HoloLens 2 provide a large field of view augmented reality headset, using hand tracking to guide the user interface.
Operating time
Vuzix M4000 provides a lightweight solution and includes a hot-swappable battery for a longer operating time, which could be useful in longer operating sessions. These glasses offer a working time of around 5 hours. RealWear Navigator offers about 5-8 hours, and HoloLens 2 provides 2-3 hours of operating time.
If you intend to send smart glasses to your customers as part of their machine purchase or a service contract, lowering the threshold for using them is crucial to make it work practically.
Some argue that it is easier to use phone-tethered smart glasses for this use case as the user will not need to learn how to navigate the smart glasses but rather use their phone to guide the user interface and applications. There's no need to connect to the internet or download an application on the smart glasses. The XMReality application will need to be downloaded to the smartphone instead of the smart glasses - making it easier to stay updated with the latest app version.
However, it could also be more parts to look after when using a phone-tethered solution, as the connection to the phone requires specific cables and includes a pocket unit. Make sure you get everything back after the remote session has taken place!
In comparison, RealWear stand-alone smart glasses don't rely on the customer connecting their own hardware to the smart glasses. Here instead, you can pre-configure the headset with everything needed, so the customer only needs to connect the glasses to their Wifi and preferably read an instruction on how they work and should be used.
When it comes to RealWear, it's important to wear it correctly to get the best viewing experience from the screen. There is a major difference in the device's ability to understand your voice commands and utilize the built-in noise reduction. This is important to consider when you're planning to send the glasses to your customers since this is a completely new device that they might have to experience difficulty mounting correctly. However, RealWear's latest edition, Navigator 500, is easier to use and less sensitive to wear in a perfect way to see the screen.
You can install the XMReality application on the smart glasses before sending them to your customers, but they need to connect them to WiFi to get started - if you don't, send them a WiFi hotspot.
Noise cancellation can be crucial if operating in a loud environment, as it's impossible to provide or get instructions without hearing the other person.
RealWear smart glasses (HMT-1 and Navigator 500) provide active noise cancellation that works up to 95 dBA, meaning that you can be in loud environments while still being heard by the person guiding you. The RealWear HMT-1 has three microphones that filter the audio and reduce the surrounding noise from the call. We made a test in a 102 dB environment, and the smart glasses efficiently reduced the noise of the machine, making it possible to interact without issues regardless of the noisy surroundings.
Traditionally, RealWear has been the most used smart glasses for training scenarios amongst XMReality's customers.
However, Microsoft HoloLens 2 provides an immersive user experience, but compared to other devices, HoloLens 2 still need to be widely used. The HoloLens 2 glasses provide an outstanding field of view and powerful experience, making this device a perfect fit for training scenarios. The user easily navigates by hand tracking and can place the window wherever it suits best.
You can read more about How to use XMReality on HoloLens 2.
RealWear and HoloLens 2 offer safety-certified smart glasses. These models are optimal for use cases within oil & gas operations, chemical plants, aviation fueling, or other use cases requiring extra caution. These devices can be used in wet, dusty, hot, hazardous areas and industrial environments and can be mounted into safety helmets.
RealWear HMT-1 Z1 is an intrinsically safe head-mounted wearable computer that meets Class 1 Division 1 and ATEX & IECEx Zone 1 certifications and can be used with safety glasses or corrective eyewear.
HoloLens 2 industrial edition suits UL Class I, Division 2-Groups A, B, C, and D hazardous location environments.
Investing in smart glasses is a great choice if you need to operate your hands-free, but "no single choice fits all" exists. You need to evaluate the smart glasses depending on the case in which you are planning to use them.
