Nobody likes wearing prescription glasses. As the degree of myopia changes, there is the ritual of making a new pair of prescription eyewear. But the real “pain” of having to rely on optics to see clearly becomes even more apparent when hyperopia sets in as you age. This is where progressive lenses can help and how today people’s solving this vision condition. But one Japanese company, called ViXion, is changing that with a pair of high-tech eyewear simply called ViXion 01.
ViXion is a start-up spin-off of Japanese optics giant Hoya, btw. So, yeah, they are not nobody. ViXion 01 is an autofocus eyewear that automatically adjusts focus, thus achieving clear vision whether you are seeing near or far. It, in the company’s own words, “resolves vision challenges associated with eye strain and aging.”
After initial calibration to set the desired focus, a Time of Flight sensor located at the center of this futuristic eyewear detects the distance of objects and continuously adjusts the focus of the powered lenses accordingly to achieve a clear vision of what you are seeing.
The eyewear, which weighs just 55g (1.94 oz), is powered by an onboard battery, rechargeable via a USB-C port, which is good for up to 10 hours on a single charge.
Aesthetically, the design is as futuristic as its purpose. The design looks like it was taken out from the pages of X-Men. So, yes, the first I laid eyes on it, the narrow, sleek mono visor invoked the thought of Cyclops aka Scott Summers which is so cool! Anyways, I guess Six Million Dollar Man’s bionic eye isn’t far from reality.
ViXion 01 Auto-Focus Eyewear is open for reservation but only in Japan for now. If you reside in Japan, you may pre-order it for 99,000 yen plus shipping, which is about US$683 based on today’s going rate.
Images: ViXion.
