We're how smart glasses turn pro.
Smart glasses will change the world we live in. But how will they change the world we work in?
Hourglass has the answer.
By creating new ways to control smart glasses, Hourglass turns them into professional tools that elevate and enhance productivity, from the surgical suite to the factory floor and beyond.
We solve problems with smart glasses.
Professionals who work in demanding environments struggle to use their technology — everything from two-way radios to computer peripherals — because those devices need to be controlled by hand. It’s awkward, inefficient, and sometimes even dangerous when their work gets disrupted to use a device.
We strongly believe smart glasses are the way to overcoming these limitations... and Hourglass has developed the technology to help make it a reality.
Every revolution starts with a movement.
By working with, not against, the body's natural movements, Hourglass is revolutionizing how smart glasses are controlled. It's smarter. It's more intuitive. It just works better.
Temporalis Control
Watch how it works:
Some people simply don’t have the option of using their hands in certain work environments. So how are they able to control smart glasses, XR headsets, or a computer? There’s voice input, but that has its limitations. Head and eye tracking are good for pointing, but not clicking – let alone dragging, dropping, rotating, or zooming. Gesturing isn’t hands-free. Some companies are even developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that require surgery and only provide limited functionality. Seems a bit excessive… and certainly more invasive.
Hourglass has a better way. We give you 100% hands-free control of both standard and XR displays by detecting slight movements of your temporalis muscles. Our patented sensors offer the simplest, most intuitive, most reliable, and rugged hands-free click ever developed. Our invisible hardware offers invisible interaction — from basic glasses that control PCs to XR smart glasses and headsets. Lightly clench your jaw by quickly (again very lightly) squeezing your teeth together to move the sensor from any starting position. You’ve just clicked! No latency and no awkwardness that comes with hand waving or talking to yourself. You simply control things as you would with a mouse – completely hands-free It works across various head sizes and face shapes without any calibration. We provide truly inclusive interaction that unlocks entirely new workflows.
Nosepiece Control
Watch how it works:
Standard controls on smart glasses use buttons and touch surfaces that you have to, well, touch. With bare clean hands. In some sort of pattern. While you’re busy doing other things. That simply doesn’t work for working people on the move.
We figured out a way to provide touch-based, multi-directional input without actually having to directly touch anything, by designing nose pieces that turn glasses into an intuitive multi-directional controller. Bump them anywhere on the right, and you get a click against the right side of your nose. Left bump, left side. Pushing down on the bridge clicks both. You can use your hands, but you don’t have to. The back of a glove, wrist, upper arm, or anything else you can bump them with works just fine. It’s so much easier than the controls found on your earbuds. And as for enterprise two-way radios... watch out. We’re coming for you.
Who we're helping.
The future of smart glasses is limitless. We're currently focused on four key spaces we feel will have the greatest impact and help the most people.
Industrial
Medical
Working with global manufacturers like Nucor Steel and ThyssenKrupp, we're helping make workers safer and more productive by enhancing the functionality and capability of their safety glasses.
We've sat down with some of the world's most respected organizations in medicine to envision what surgical care can look like when smart glasses and XR help practitioners stay focused on the task at hand.
Defense
We're helping the Air Force Research Laboratory envision the flight helmet of the future, and helping US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) medics treat wounded warfighters more effectively.
Assistive
Our vision incudes helping enable those who need it most. While there may be a distant future where brain implants are a practical reality, smart glasses with Hourglass technology can help disabled people right now.
Let's envision the future of smart glasses.
If you'd like to explore how Hourglass can help your business, or want to learn more about what we do, we'd love to hear from you.