Intel And Luxottica Team Up To Create Fashionable Luxury Smart Glasses

Mike Moore,

Multi-year partnership might signal Ray-Ban smart glasses are on the horizon

Wearable technology might be about to get a lot more stylish following the signing of a deal between Intel and luxury fashion brand Luxottica, the parent company of brands including Oakley and Ray-Ban.

The two firms have signed a research and development deal concerning what smart technology for eyewear will look like in the future. The agreement will “fuse premium, luxury and sports eyewear with smart technology”, with the first products expected to launch sometime in 2015.

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This latest agreement follows Luxottica’s partnership with Google signed earlier in the year, which will see the two companies develop a wide range of sunglasses containing Google Glass wearable technology.

“This is an incredible opportunity for us to continue to innovate and further shape the future of eyewear,” said Massimo Vian, CEO of Luxottica Group. “Together with Intel, we will continue to develop the potential of wearables, expanding the limits of what eyewear can be. We’ll lead the change to create frames that are as intelligent and functional as they are beautiful. Products that consumers will love to wear.”

Intel has also been making a major push towards the wearable technology market as the company looks to broaden its horizons away from its traditional strengths incomputing. Earlier this year, it showed off a range of fashionable clothes and accessories featuring smart technology

The company is also rumoured to be providing the hardware for the second generation of Google Glass, taking over from Texas Instruments in an attempt to boost the power of wearable devices.

“The growth of wearable technology is creating a new playing field for innovation,” said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. “Through our collaboration with Luxottica Group, we will unite our respective ecosystems and bring together Intel’s leading-edge silicon and software technology with Luxottica’s design innovation and consumer expertise. We expect the combination of our expertise to help drive a much faster pace of innovation and push the envelope of what’s possible.”

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