If you're doing something crazy such as blasting down the side of a mountain on a bike, it's going to be difficult – and risky – to check your progress by sneaking peeks at your smartwatch. That's why the goggle-mounted EyeCo notification system was created.
EyeCo was invented by Jerome Lacote, a champion downhill mountain biker and former video game developer. It takes the form of an LED-equipped tab that is affixed to the bottom-inside of a set of goggles or a helmet visor, using either an included magnet or adhesive pad.
It's paired via Bluetooth to an iOS/Android app on the user's smartphone, which is carried with them as they cycle, ski, run, etc. Utilizing that app, they can set the EyeCo's small LED to blink in different colors for different types of performance-oriented notifications, which they catch in their peripheral vision.
These notifications could include things such as reaching a given elevation, arriving at specific GPS coordinates, or attaining a certain speed. Beta testers have already utilized a split-time feature, in which the LED illuminates in either red or green as they reach various waypoints on a race course – red means they're going slower than their reference time at that point, while green means they're going faster.
Unlike some sports smartglasses we've seen, EyeCo doesn't require users to temporarily refocus their vision onto a projected text/graphics display. It also incorporates an ambient light sensor that automatically dims the LED in darker conditions, to keep it from dazzling you. And should a wipe-out occur, its impact-detection system will automatically notify an emergency contact via the linked smartphone – the user is first given a chance to stop it from doing so, though.
Its battery is charged wirelessly, with one charge reportedly being good for a few weeks of use.
EyeCo is currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, where a pledge of US$199 will get you one if everything works out. The planned retail price is $250. It's demoed in the following video.
