SmartGlasses Help Employees See Eye to Eye

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March 08, 2017

By Alicia Young
Web Editor

Augmented reality has become increasingly popular as of late. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few months, you’ve likely heard about the phenomenon that is Pokémon Go. For users, the AR game turns the real world into one where Pokémon wander the streets, waiting to be captured. Although many say that the game is fun, it’s probably not the most practical use for such powerful technology. However, better uses for AR seem to be popping up, as Frozen Mountain has just announced WebRTC audio and video support for SmartGlasses.

Frozen Mountain is a provider of cross platform Internet-based Real Time Communications (iRTC) products and services. The company now supports WebRTC audio and video on Android (News - Alert)-powered SmartGlasses, in addition to all other native, Web and mobile platforms. Frozen Mountain's IceLink and WebSync SDKs, which together provide the complete solution for WebRTC-based audio, video and data streaming, now support two popular models of SmartGlasses – Vuzix's M300 and Osterhout Design Group's R-7 – with support for additional models planned for 2017.

While SmartGlasses sound pretty cool in name alone (I can’t help but picture the glasses from Spy Kids), you may be wondering how exactly they’re better or more useful than something like Pokémon Go. Well, with the global AR market projected to hit $90 billion by 2020, SmartGlasses, are becoming increasingly sought-after for business applications worldwide. There are various uses for these wearable digital glasses. For example, SmartGlasses, combined with Frozen Mountain’s IceLink and WebSync products, are actually being used by organizations like NASA to develop applications that will enable better communications between employees in the field and in the office. If both parties have the glasses on, the people in the office will be able to see exactly what those in the field are seeing. This would allow for less miscommunication and better analysis of the situation.

If you think of SmartGlasses as an updated version of video conferencing, then it becomes pretty clear how effectively they could be used in a business setting. Forget having to be inside an office or having to awkwardly hold a smartphone up to your face to videoconference with someone; SmartGlasses would make showing others your surrounding so much easier. Wearable digital glasses with real time communications capabilities provide endless possibilities when it comes to improving business operations.

“The business applications for SmartGlasses utilizing real-time communications are endless,” says Anton Venema, Frozen Mountain's CTO and the architect behind SmartGlasses support. “From mining to real estate to equipment inspections, SmartGlasses are going to dramatically change the way we do things. We're thrilled to be adding support for this exciting new platform to our IceLink and WebSync SDKs.”

Only time will tell how these SmartGlasses will be used in your industry, but I’d be willing to bet they make an appearance in some way. The only guarantee is that when they arrive, communicating will become a whole lot easier. 

Edited by Stefania Viscusi

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