Having directions displayed in the lenses of glasses or taking a quick picture without needing to pull out a smartphone are possibilities with the development of AR smart glasses, and the technologies behind them are getting increasingly advanced. IDTechEx's portfolio of Wearable Technology Research Reports and Subscriptions covers the technologies behind smart glasses and other wearable applications.
Augmented reality and waveguide combiners
Augmented reality (AR) headsets, unlike virtual reality (VR) headsets that are closed off to the real world, enable the combination of both digital and real-world environments. IDTechEx's report, "Optics for Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality 2026-2036: Technologies, Forecasts, Markets", looks into the optics responsible for achieving these experiences, while the "Displays for Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality 2024-2034: Forecasts, Technologies, Markets" report explores different types of XR projector technologies such as micro-LEDs, laser beam scanning, and liquid crystal displays.
Mixed reality (XR) headsets come in a variety of form factors, with the most common form factor of AR now being chargeable smart glasses which have the stereotypical look of regular glasses (although bulkier) with AR features. These have recently been developed or are being developed by companies such as Meta, Google, and Samsung.
IDTechEx's most recent report covers the many AR optics choices for smart glasses, each with their own benefits and disadvantages. These include waveguide combiners and non-waveguide combiners, with waveguide combiners being able to achieve a wider field of view than other combiners and a more favorable form factor. Despite waveguide combiners typically being more expensive, IDTechEx reports that the market is moving in this direction, largely due to the demand for regular-looking form factors which may result in the increased social acceptability of smart glasses.
Reflective, surface relief, and holographic
Within waveguide combiners, the three main types are reflective waveguides, surface relief grating waveguides, and holographic waveguides. Surface relief waveguides are reported by IDTechEx to be the most mature, while reflective waveguides are used in the well-known Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses. Despite the AR smart glasses market that these waveguides serve still being very small, it is expected to grow. IDTechEx states that the future optimal waveguide is becoming less clear as developments advance, as each will have individual selling points that will depend on the target application.
IDTechEx provides a comparison between surface relief and reflective qualities, including efficiency, image quality, field of view, and cost benchmarking. While both are found to have high image quality, reflective waveguides have a higher efficiency which aids battery life and brightness. They also have less eye leakage than surface relief waveguides. However, reflective waveguides may be more costly to manufacture. Benefits specific to surface relief waveguides, on the other hand, include thinner form factor and a potentially wider field of view, as well as lower costs of production.
IDTechEx's Optics for Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality report provides benchmarking across other features such as colour accuracy, transparency, weight, and thickness. The report forecasts surface relief waveguide headsets to reach 12.5 million by 2036, and reflective waveguide headsets to hit 13.2 million within the same period. The two combined are also predicted to hold 73% of the smart glasses market by 2036.
For more information, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Wearable Technology Research Reports and Subscriptions for the latest developments across a number of different wearable product types.
