From the Metaverse to Hearing Technology: EssilorLuxottica Unveils New Eyewear Developments

Italian-French multinational company EssilorLuxottica is an eyewear-focused group considered the most significant player in today’s eyewear industry. As an industry leader, EssilorLuxottica’s first participation at the CES 2024 was a much-awaited appearance with promising and exciting innovations.

In a previous post, we highlighted the newly announced lineup of AI-powered devices from Lenovo, including the company’s latest laptop and tablet models. CES, owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, has let countless tech companies and startups showcase the latest in hardware, software, content, and technology delivery systems.

The annual tech event is a grand showcase of various manufacturers, developers, and suppliers of consumer technology. For EssilorLuxottica, the CES 2024 event was an exciting glimpse into the future of eyewear and technology and how the two blend together.

EssilorLuxottica and innovation

Today, EssilorLuxottica is home to more than 150 globally renowned vision care and eyewear brands. The group’s portfolio covers various market segments and innovates on everything from design to service. These include exclusive eyewear from brands like Ray-Ban, Oakley, Ferrari, and Swarovski, as well as joint eyecare ventures with Nikon and Kodak for lens technologies and development.

According to a recent company profile from ResearchAndMarkets.com, EssilorLuxottica’s digital transformation covers the design, manufacturing, and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, reading glasses, and other optical equipment. The company plays a significant role in developing corrective lenses for visual disorders such as myopia and astigmatism. EssilorLuxottica is also leveraging technologies like Web 3.0 and behavioural AI to innovate on new eyewear technologies and eye care delivery.

EssilorLuxottica at the CES 2024

At CES 2024, EssilorLuxottica’s first appearance featured its Ray-Ban x Meta smart glasses collaboration, an advanced hearing solution by Nuance Audio, and a new platform offering teleoptometry and big data services for eye care practices.

The second entry in Ray-Ban’s partnership with tech giant Meta, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses improve upon its predecessor — the Ray-Ban Stories — by offering a built-in ultrawide 12MP camera for hands-free capturing of photos and videos. The Ray-Ban Meta’s frames also hide discreet open-ear speakers for music streaming and making calls. More importantly, Ray-Ban Meta wearers can also easily live stream straight from the glasses’ built-in camera to Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram.

Recently, the Ray-Ban Meta also introduced AI integration. Wearers can now speak to Meta’s AI assistant and ask questions, translate texts and images, and many more. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg first introduced this feature in late 2023 through an Instagram reel, in which the CEO asks his pair of Ray-Ban Meta for styling suggestions that go with his jeans.

Meanwhile, the Nuance Audio prescription glasses combine prescription eyewear with over-the-counter hearing aids. According to Stefano Genco, head of Nuance Audio at EssilorLuxottica, the Nuance Audio glasses is a comfortable and accessible pair of glasses for those who experience discomfort in and around their ears from wearing traditional hearing aids, as well as a more affordable option compared to conventional solutions that may cost upwards of $5,000.

To help people hear more clearly, especially in noisy situations such as crowded restaurants, the Nuance Audio glasses will deploy beam-forming directional microphone tech to amplify sounds before you. This is done through four tiny speakers built discreetly into the glasses’ temples and six microphones that pick up directional and ambient sound. To outsiders, the Nuance Audio glasses will not look like traditional in-ear bud or rest-in-canal hearing aids but thick horned-rim glasses.

EssilorLuxottica also announced the group’s new HELIX division with Vision(X) — an intelligent, interconnected platform that aims to modernise eye care practices. In September 2023, the group described HELIX as a new division focused on helping eye care professionals leverage modern technology using one intelligent, interconnected platform for services such as booking, ordering, and teleoptometry. Following its CES demo, the next-gen platform Vision(X) is expected to be available to eye care professionals in the US in Q2 2024.