Issé
Bringing fitness and fashion together to define the future of mixed reality wearables.
A Morrama led concept exploration, the Issé smart glasses were the result of an in-depth research project into the future of fitness wearables. Capturing the media, the project was picked up by the design media and started the conversation around the importance for hardware personalisation.
“The beauty of Issé is that it is a platform for play and creativity. Whether it’s a collaboration with a fashion brand on the frame design, or an artist for the mixed reality world, we see the future of tech as less about data and more about expression. With developments in machine learning and generative AI, sophisticated data can be turned into beautiful user interfaces, removing information overload and focusing more on experience”.
- JO BARNARD
With the tech industry re-focusing on the development of smart glasses, we question what it will actually take for XR wearables to go mainstream. Building on a three month research project exploring wearables in the age of the digital self, the Morrama team have conceptualised a future-facing mixed reality wearable. A lens that can be customised based on preferences, requirements, and style by switching the technology out from frame to frame. Combining technology with fashion, Issé provides a solution for how we might adapt a face-worn wearable to our needs whether we are trail running or out lunching in the city.
Whilst there is a potential for infinite frame designs, two have been visualised. One, a lightweight metallic frame, with a bold neon stripe. The other, a softer, more organic form. The lens can be pushed out of the frame, like a smartphone from its case, allowing a user to swap from one to the other with ease.
In terms of what the wearer sees, we see this as an opportunity for less data and more creativity. Bringing in the idea of gamification, imagine running through a sci-fi scene, a series of ‘portals’ seemingly projected into the world in front of you as you chase down your digital twin. Whilst it’s sophisticated data that is driving the back-end, that doesn’t mean data overload for the user. In-fact, quite the opposite. Keeping the visuals to a minimum reserves battery life, allowing for a lighter-weight lens, although we propose that a power cable could be attached to the arm of the frame if required. Sound would be transmitted via bone-conduction in the arms of the frame.
Materials and sustainability
Whilst we will be mining old e-waste to recover precious metals, a decade on from now, resources will be even more scarce and reusing and recapturing tech will be vital. The Issé lens can be swapped from frame to frame, suiting different users, enabling upgrades if new sensors become available and making disassembly easier.
With 95% of the electronics in the lens itself, the frame remains low-tech and its shorter life-span makes it possible to manufacture from bio-materials that can break down or be digested by bacteria, enabling any embedded wires or sensors to be recaptured. Enhancing our surroundings with the aid of mixed reality wearables such as Issé has the potential to nudge us into making better choices for our health and wellbeing as well as the world around us, but this should never be at the expense of the planet.
