These glasses go beyond Google's vision

Virtual reality viewers were plentiful at CES this year, but most of the ones I tried were not much different from the cardboard viewer that Google has been distributing. You insert your mobile phone, hold the viewer to your eyes and watch a 360-degree video that fills your field of vision.

I was more intrigued by the augmented reality delivered by the ODG R-7 Smart Glasses. Developed by the Osterhout Design Group, the glasses won a CES Innovation Award in the wearables catagory.

These are glasses that go beyond what Google had in mind with Google Glass.  The R-7 uses transparent 3D stereoscopic displays that display content using an Android-based OS on a chip. ODG’s goal is to deliver “a next-generation computing platform that gives users the power and performance of a tablet, completely hands free.”

Who would use the glasses? Surgeons, astronauts and high-level technicians are part of the target audience. And I’m betting gamers will also be in the mix. For now, ODG is encouraging developers to grab a pair or three and start coding apps.

The glasses are currently available for $2,750.

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Written by Ric Manning

Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.