Vuzix has been augmenting our reality with headsets and glasses for years, and has now launched an Extreme variant of its already widely adopted M400 wearable that's destined for use in "the harshest workplace environments."
The basic idea here is to put useful information or visuals in front a user's eye without impeding the overall view in front, and without needing to haul around heavy projection gear. Think Google Glass rather than Lenovo Glasses T1.
We first got a taste for augmented reality eyewear from Vuzix at CES 2013 with a brief demo of the M100 Smart Glasses. The tech has naturally advanced since then, and almost a decade later M400 models were rolled out to select EMT crews – not only allowing medical professionals to make a virtual examination of an injured patient but also feeding vital information to first responders.
The latest addition to the family is the M400 Extreme Kit, which is pitched as the "ideal solution for remote field service assignments." This edition comes with a longer-lasting 3,200-mAh battery pack than other members of the family to support long shifts, which is IP67-rated and designed to survive temperatures ranging from -4 °F (-20 °C) to plus 113 °F (45 °C).
The M400's OLED micro-display that sits in front of a user's right eye promises 24-bit color, 2,000 nits of brightness and roughly the same virtual viewing area as a 5-inch smartphone held 17 inches away from the eyes. This sits at the end of an arm that's attached to an padded headband. A cylindrical 13-MP autofocus camera module is mounted to the left side of the headband, enabling 1080p video streaming and barcode scanning – with a LED available for poorly lit environments.
The system boasts head-tracking capabilities, features 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 and USB-C connectivity, and there's an integrated speaker plus noise-canceling microphones cooked in too. The setup runs Android 11, has octa-core processing brains supported by 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, and comes with on-device controls.
The M400 Extreme Kit also comes with certifications for use in medical settings as well as clean room operations. It's on sale now for US$1,799.99, and is offered with a communications package for a limited time that includes tools like Vuzix Video Conferencing for Zoom and Webex Connector App for Smart Glasses.
"Since we first launched the M400, we've been continually making improvements to this product," said company president and CEO, Paul Travers. "Over time, we've made the display brighter and increased screen life and durability, dramatically reduced non-user voice interference, upgraded the OS, added speech recognition and applications support in 30 languages, further ruggedized the adjustable hinge mechanism and improved other key design features. The enhancements implemented were often in direct response to the operational requests and general product feedback we have received from the thousands of customers that have been actively using our smart glasses.
"Upgrading to Android 13 support, for example, is another key requirement on our strategy roadmap for the year, based on customer feedback. We're confident that our new Collaboration Package and the release of the M400 Xtreme will meet the rising need to stay connected with peer teams regardless of location or environmental factors."
Product page: Vuzix M400 Extreme Kit