Enterprise Wearables on Display (Virtually) at CES

A global pandemic can't stop the forward progress of technology; some may even argue it’s an impetus for faster innovation. So while CES was all-digital, we still saw the latest and greatest in all things VR/AR/XR at CES 2021.

While the market waits for VR/AR wearables that capture consumers’ attention, the focus is on enterprise applications. That’s where the demand (and the money) is coming from, where we live all day at the Industrial XR Forum, where you work—and the trend was on full display at CES.

Here’s a recap of some of the enterprise wearable news that caught our eye.

Lenovo ThinkReality A3 Goes 1080p

From Morning Brew

Lenovo showed off its ThinkReality A3 smart glasses, targeted at businesses by promising the ability to “create a customized, expanded personal workspace anywhere, from a virtual monitor at home, to guided schematics on the factory floor.” But the glasses do need to be connected to a PC or Motorola smartphone.

With virtual monitors for office work, 3D visualization and guided workflows for the field, Lenovo has the entire enterprise in its sights. Plus, they have a more rugged industrial version, solidly aimed at our industrial immersive sector!

Panasonic Updates VR Glasses Prototype

From Panasonic

Panasonic’s VR Glasses aren’t on the market yet, but they’re touted for being lightweight and comfortable while providing an immersive audiovisual experience. 

The glasses tether to PCs or 5G smartphones via a USB-C cable. Panasonic touts the comfort of this design, saying users will “feel as if they were wearing eyeglasses,” (even if they don’t look like it).

New Vuzix Design Looks Like...Well, Glasses

From Inside XR

Vuzix released something we’ve been waiting to see: VR/AR glasses that actually look like glasses. The sleek look could speed adoption at the workplace, one of the toughest obstacles to XR scaling for the enterprise. They look like glasses a consumer could buy from Warby Parker or an online glasses retailer. (Or like those reading glasses you begrudgingly had to get even though you’re totally not old enough to need them.)

Expect them out later this summer, but until then, Vuzix has other AR glasses and accessories already on the market.

TCL Keeps Familiarity of Screens with “Wearable Display”

From the Verge

The TCL Wearable Display is, as the name suggests, more wearable screen than VR headset. The glasses feature a familiar-looking screen where the lenses would be, made of two 1080p mini OLED displays. This setup “gives the viewer the effect of looking at a very large screen,” said The Verge.

These too must be tethered via USB-C. They’re capable of displaying 3D content and are expected out later in 2021.

What We’re Seeing

Enterprise wearables are the hot topic for manufacturers, developers and enterprises themselves. And all signs point to enterprise wearables continuing to grow as businesses find new, innovative uses for tech, all accelerated by the need for remote work and collaboration.