What is the Development History of AR Sports Glasses?

The beginning of AR sports glasses is closely related to Eisenhardt, the founder of Canadian tech company Recon Instruments. Recon Instruments was one of the first manufacturers to launch AR ski goggles and AR cycling glasses, and Eisenhardt later founded FORM to introduce the earliest AR swim goggles.

Eisenhardt, who came from a competitive swimming background, initially aimed to provide HUD (Heads-Up Display) functionality for swim goggles, making them an effective replacement for poolside clocks. However, at that time, swim goggles with heads-up displays were already patented, and the team faced challenges with technology and operational conditions. Ultimately, Eisenhardt's team chose to focus on winter sports products, specifically AR ski goggles.

In 2010, Recon launched the first generation of HUD ski goggles, about a year and a half before Google Glass. These ski goggles displayed information directly through a mini display installed inside the goggles, but they did not have AR functionality. In 2011, Recon introduced the AR ski goggles module MOD and MOD Live, beginning to truly implement AR HUD using a prism + LCD micro-display.

Another line of early development for AR sports glasses focused on motorcycle riding AR helmets, inspired by the AR HUD functionality of fighter pilot helmets, which project navigation, radar, and target information onto a transparent visor. Motorcycle helmets share a high degree of similarity in shape with pilot helmets, making AR helmets one of the earliest concepts for AR sports glasses (in 2010). The motorcycle riding AR helmet officially hit the market in 2013, later than the launch of AR ski goggles.

2013 marked an important starting point for the development of AR sports glasses, as this year saw the release of the first batch of motorcycle riding AR helmets and cycling AR sunglasses. From 2016 to 2017, the iteration of AR ski goggles was interrupted, and motorcycle riding along with cycling became the main development direction for AR sports glasses. Between 2018 and 2019, AR helmet waveguide solutions began to be explored, and during the same period, the first generation of AR swim goggles was released.

From 2020 to 2021, new products in various directions of AR sports glasses continued to emerge, with a clear trend toward lighter and thinner AR cycling glasses. In 2022 and 2023, there was a significant increase in the release of AR sports products, and the popularity of AR sports glasses rose. A new form of AR sports glasses for motorcycle riding emerged: AR smart sunglasses for cycling. Driven by the BMW brand, the sunglasses format began to become a new trend for motorcycle riding AR sports glasses.

The choice of sports scenarios for AR glasses is closely related to whether the sport itself requires wearing head-mounted devices. When AR is applied in these sports scenarios, AR functionality can be added to existing wearable devices, minimizing the wearing burden caused by the addition of AR features.

AR sports glasses are primarily applied in five major scenarios, in the following sequence: skiing, motorcycle riding, cycling, running, and swimming. Some AR sports glasses can be used for multiple sports; for example, AR helmets can serve both motorcycle and bicycle riding, while cycling AR sunglasses can also be used for running and hiking.

In terms of functionality, AR sports glasses primarily use a heads-up display (HUD) to present necessary information in front of the user’s eyes, overlaying this information onto the real world. The main user demands for AR sports glasses include navigation, calling, display of speedometer information, sports data display, photography, and music. The emphasis on functional requirements varies depending on the specific sport.