Will AR Sunglasses Change the Future of Outdoor Sports?

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A Chinese company called LAWK based in Hangzhou is inventing VR (virtual-reality) glasses specifically for people who participate in outdoor sports. The launch website shows athletes wearing VR glasses while they are skateboarding, walking, cycling, hiking, and even rock climbing.

They call the VR glasses LAWK ONE. The glasses combine AR data visualization, sports data, and track recording, 4K shooting, navigation, music, and more—“all in one single machine.”

Apparently, LAWK ONE also serves as sunglasses, and they weigh “only 90g,” which is up to four times the weight of regular sunglasses. The company says they provide “maximum comfort, glare, and eye protection” and have detachable lenses.

These sunglasses slash VR glasses will track your fitness progress, capture photos and videos, help you navigate your way through unfamiliar territory, and play your music while you spend time outdoors. The company envisions their glasses replacing about five other gadgets you may already have in your gym bag.

With up to six hours of battery life and 70 minutes of continuous video shooting, the glasses may not last your whole adventure, but they’ll certainly help you record a big chunk of it.

LAWK ONE strives to be the technology of the future, offering:

AR visualization
4K shooting
Music
Messaging and calling
Navigation
Sports data and track recording
AI (artificial intelligence) support
Real-time multidimensional data right in front of your eyes

If you think this sounds an awful lot like a cell phone that’s stuck to your face, you’re not alone. Through the voice activation assistance system, the company says “you can stay focused on your activity without the need to ‘look down’ for pathway information.” If that’s the case, you’ll have to get used to reading information in your line of sight instead of looking elsewhere for it.

The glasses come with a shooting button for photos, if you prefer to trigger it by hand, or you can quickly snap photos and shoot 4K HD videos using voice commands. Thanks to a 120-degree wide-angle lens, you can experience “first-person perspective shooting” and capture every moment of your outdoor activities. The glasses also somehow allow you to edit and share your videos, but it’s not yet clear how.

A built-in AI assistant offers an “on-the-go, anytime, anywhere” connection to the internet and possibly also a new best friend. With a small press and hold of the “Touch Bar” on the right temple, you can access ChatGPT.

The tech is incredible, but how much tech is too much tech when you’re outdoors? The world is changing at a fast pace, with more than 11 breakthrough technologies so far this year. One of the upsides of spending time in nature, after all, is that you’re able to disconnect.

Will VR glasses become your favorite new tech, or would you find them a hindrance? Comment with your thoughts below.

Source: https://outdoors.com/will-ar-sunglasses-change-the-future-of-outdoor-sports/