Innovative tech-embedded eyewear, Level will undergo a new pilot study thanks to a partnership between VSP Global and the University of Southern California (USC) Center for Body Computing (CBC).
Though still a prototype, the Level frames will track a wearer’s steps, calories burned, and activity time. Users will even be able to locate misplaced frames through the app’s “Find My Glasses” feature.
USC CBC founder and executive director Dr. Leslie Saxon said: ‘This study is the first of its kind and will provide a crucial roadmap for validating future products and platforms and for understanding overall consumer health engagement.’
Participants will receive a Level frame and accompanying smartphone app that will allow them to track their activity. The app will also sync with the VSP Global’s Eyes of Hope initiative whereby participants will accrue points in the app for reaching daily step goals. Once a certain number of points are achieved, that user will automatically trigger the donation of a comprehensive eye exam and a pair of glasses to someone in need.
The three unisex frames come in a number of modern colorways and are named after some of history’s greatest innovators, including Nikola Tesla, Marvin Minsky and Hedy Lamarr.
‘The new Level frames forced us to reimagine the entire design and manufacturing process for eyewear,’ said Leslie Muller, co-lead of VSP Global’s innovation lab The Shop. ‘Designers collaborated with firmware and biomedical engineers, who collaborated with traditional eyewear craftspeople to produce something that is both technologically advanced but still seamless and beautiful. As with any wearable, Level is as much about fashion and individual expression as it is about the brilliant technology inside.’
The pilot will run from September to December, with published results expected in early 2017.