tech
How Smart Glasses Are Changing Everyday Life for Local Residents
Realities' camera-free models are helping Perth workers handle tasks faster during commutes and at home without adding surveillance worries.
How we reported this
Realities released camera-free smart glasses on July 11 that overlay task lists, navigation cues and calendar alerts directly into the wearer's view.
The timing aligns with growing demand for tools that cut screen time amid Perth's mix of hybrid jobs and long summer commutes along the Mitchell Freeway.
Daily shifts on familiar streets
Commuters waiting at the Hay Street bus stop now glance down to see updated train times from Transperth without pulling out phones. In Subiaco, parents at the weekly farmers market use the glasses to check grocery lists while pushing strollers past the stalls on Rokeby Road. Local organisation Innovation Central, based in the Perth CBD, has started testing the devices in its co-working spaces for quick project notes during stand-ups.
These uses emerged after Realities partnered with a small Perth developer to add integration with the City of Perth's parking app and the State Library's event calendar.
Numbers behind the rollout
Units went on sale locally for $399 through JB Hi-Fi stores on William Street starting June 20. Early data from Realities shows Australian sales reached 4,200 units in the first three weeks, with Western Australia accounting for 18 percent of that total. A trial at Curtin University in Bentley recorded participants saving an average of 11 minutes per workday on routine lookups.
Shoppers can try the glasses at the Realities pop-up inside the Leederville Village markets this weekend before deciding on a purchase.