GiveVision and Sony promise compact glasses for visually impaired users

For users with good to great vision, augmented reality means adding additional information and graphics on top of a real-world scene. But for users with low vision, simply being able to see the real world is a huge step forward — and one U.K. startup GiveVision will address with new AR-like glasses that are more comfortable and socially acceptable than prior options. Having previously released a VR goggles-style wearable called SightPlus, GiveVision has designed SightPlus 2 (also called SightPlus Generation 2) to resemble early AR glasses — smaller, lighter in weight, and akin to boxy sunglasses. They use what the company describes as a combination of VR and AR to simulate human vision with an over 100-degree field of view “in near real time.” The company is working with Sony to develop and manufacture the lightweight wearable, going so far as to relocate its design office to a Sony UK facility in South Wales.