ThirdEye stealthily makes forays into the AR glasses space

You need an individual kind of chutzpah against the behemoths, especially when it comes to AR glasses. We already have Microsoft’s Hololens and Google Glass is marketed as an enterprise device. But ThirdEye is ready for the challenge.

ThirdEye is a spin-off of a project for the Department of Defense. Stealthily, it has made steady inroads into AR smart glasses and the accompanying AI software space.

ThirdEye glasses may look like safety glasses – and they are, to some extent – but they do so much more. The company’s second-generation X2 MR allows users to access documents or schematics hands-free while working on a project. Live digital information can be projected into the user’s field of view; it can also relay live images to a tablet or phone, allowing colleagues to provide advice or oversee an activity. There is also a low resolution thermal sensor built into the glasses. And they are light.

The company quickly found a customer in the military, which uses the technology for classified items. But Nick Cherukuri, CEO of ThirdEye, told TechCrunch that the glasses could also be used for more mundane applications, like helping technicians perform repairs in remote environments.

A combat medic receives instructions through the ThirdEye glasses. Picture credits: third eye

And that’s just the beginning. ThirdEye’s technology has become particularly important during the pandemic; the glasses allowed for clearer treatment options and diagnoses without too many people having to come into contact with each other. ThirdEye saw its opportunity and developed HIPAA-compliant telehealth AR software to go along with it.

In August 2022, the UK’s National Health Service launched a trial where community nurses wore the goggles during home visits. By transcribing a patient’s visit record directly into their notes (with their consent), the company says its glasses could reduce the time nurses spend focusing on paperwork rather than with their patients.

The glasses could also help reduce the need for doctor’s appointments or even hospital admissions by allowing healthcare professionals to share live images with colleagues, giving patients the ability to get a second opinion or more detailed diagnoses. The thermal imaging sensor can also be used to assess wound healing.