Amazon developing Alexa compatible smart glasses: report
21 Sep 2017
As it looks to expand the capabilities of its Alexa voice assistant, Amazon is developing compatible smart glasses and home security cameras, the Financial Times reports.
The report cited people familiar with the company's plans as saying that one or both of these products could be launched before the end of the year. The publication further noted that existing Echo devices are likely coming within that same timeframe.
The Financial Times added that Amazon intended the smart glasses to be an earbuds-free housing for its Alexa AI, which will apparently feature a bone-conduction audio system that enable users to hear Alexa without being wired in.
The smart glasses would be the first wearable tech product from Amazon and could reveal more about the company's plans for Alexa. As against other tech firms with AI assistants, such as Alphabet and Apple, Amazon does not have a proprietary mobile device, Alexa smart glassed could therefore be a method of spreading the technology.
The report added that the smart glasses will sync with a user's smartphone for connectivity and will be designed to look like a regular pair of spectacles. Also if the device looked similar to the ill-fated Google Glass, it is probably because Amazon hired Babak Parviz, the founder of the project, several years ago.
