Test drive Bosch creates a new generation of smart glasses

The innovative Light Drive system makes smart glasses lightweight, transparent and stylish.

At the CES® Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bosch Sensortec is unveiling its unique Light Drive optical system for smart glasses. The Bosch Light Drive smart glasses module is a complete technological solution consisting of MEMS mirrors, optical elements, sensors and intelligent software. The integration solution provides a perfect visual experience with bright, clear and high-contrast images – even in direct sunlight.

For the first time, Bosch Sensortec is integrating a unique and innovative Light Drive technology into a smart glasses system. Thanks to this, the user can wear transparent smart glasses all day and with full protection of their personal area, since the images are invisible to prying eyes. In addition, the technology can be used to optimize the operation of waveguide systems for which integration packages are being developed.

The Light Drive system does not have an externally visible display or built-in camera, two pitfalls that have so far repelled users from other smartglass technologies. The compact size allows designers to avoid the bulky, awkward look of many current smart glasses. For the first time, a complete system creates the basis for a more compact, lightweight and stylish smart glasses design that is attractive and comfortable to use. The miniature module is also an ideal addition for anyone who wears corrective glasses – a significant market potential as six out of ten people wear corrective glasses or contact lenses on a regular basis1.

“Currently, the Light Drive smart glasses system is the smallest and lightest product on the market. It makes even the most ordinary glasses smart,” says Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of Bosch Sensortec. “With smart glasses, users get navigation data and messages without distraction. Driving becomes safer as drivers are not constantly looking at their mobile devices.”

Thanks to the innovative Light Drive technology from Bosch Sensortec, users can enjoy information without the fatigue of digital data. The system displays the most important data in a minimalistic format, making it ideal for navigation, calls and notifications, calendar reminders and messaging platforms such as Viber and WhatsApp. Very practical day-to-day information based on notes, to-do and shopping lists, recipes and set-up instructions when your hands should be free.

Until now, these apps have only been available through physical display devices such as smartphones and smartwatches. Smart glasses minimize socially unacceptable behaviors such as persistent phone checks. They also enhance driver safety by providing navigation instructions on the transparent display of the glasses, and hands are always on the steering wheel. The new technology will also expand the scope and accessibility of applications and information, combined with instant access to relevant data, social media and intuitive controls for multimedia content.

Innovative technology in a tiny package

The microelectromechanical system (MEMS) in the Bosch Light Drive module is based on a collimation light scanner that scans the holographic element (HOE) embedded in the lenses of smart glasses. The holographic element redirects the light beam to the surface of the human retina, creating a perfectly focused image.

With the help of the technology, the user can easily and securely view all data from the connected mobile device, hands-free. The high-resolution projected image is individual, high-contrast, bright and clearly visible even in direct sunlight thanks to adaptive brightness.

Bosch Light Drive technology is compatible with curved and corrective glasses and contact lenses, making it attractive for anyone in need of vision correction. In the technologies of competing companies, when the system is turned off, a curtain or arc appears, the so-called diffused light, visible both to a person wearing glasses and to those around him. Bosch Light Drive technology provides pleasant optical clarity all day long with minimal sensitivity to stray light. Visibility is always crystal clear, and distracting internal reflections are a thing of the past.

Smallest Smart Glasses on the Market with Light Drive

The new complete Light Drive system is the smallest on the market - 30% flatter than existing products. It measures approximately 45-75mm x 5-10mm x 8mm (L x H x W, depending on customer configuration) and weighs less than 10 grams. Glasses manufacturers have the flexibility to reduce the width of the frame to create attractive models with a stylish design - the first generation of rugged smart glasses are already obsolete. The public acceptance and widespread use of Light Drive technology will cause a real boom for manufacturers of electronic device displays.

A comprehensive solution for smart glasses manufacturers

Bosch Sensortec offers a complete solution ready for immediate integration. The Light Drive system is designed and manufactured to provide consistently high quality, reliability and performance while quickly adapting to market and customer requirements for product modifications. Bosch Sensortec is the sole system supplier of this optical technology and offers a wide range of complementary components and solutions. The smart glasses module is complemented by several sensors - Bosch BHI260 smart sensor, BMP388 barometric pressure sensor and BMM150 geomagnetic sensor. With their help, the user can intuitively and conveniently control smart glasses, for example, by repeatedly touching the frame.

The Bosch Light Drive system for smart glasses will go into series production in 2021.