Vancouver’s Recon Instruments has been toiling away at designing the perfect Heads-up Display (HUD) for athletes since mid-2013, and had planned to release the $600 wearable in the spring.
But that period came and went, and on May 1st the co-founder, Dan Eisenhardt, performed the hard task of admitting the team was behind schedule, delaying final ship date until September 25th.
In a recent blog post, the company showed off the latest industrial design for the Jet, which features, similar to Google Glass, an eye-level screen, a camera for shooting video and stills, an optical trackpad for navigation, and connectivity with a number of smartphones and Bluetooth-enabled wearables.
The final hardware shows a smaller, more balanced design, with a “re-articulation of Jet’s computing engine, now raked upwards versus earlier designs.” This reportedly improves viewing angles and the camera orientation, as well as improving the overall fit of the product. The company has also ensured IP65 water protection, which makes the HUD capable of withstanding a rain storm but not submersion.
While it is aimed at athletes, the Recon Jet looks to be one of the first market-ready HUDs people will actually want to buy. Sports are scenarios where many athletes don’t have the benefits of a free hand, and being able to see relevant information like topography, speed and heart rate could mean the difference between a good showing and a great one.
[source]Recon[/source]
