Smart glasses-smartphone solution – the Visor-Ex® 01

16 February 2022

ecom has announced the launch of a combined smart glasses and smartphone solution, the Visor-Ex® 01. The device is designed for use in hazardous areas and harsh environments. It is a lightweight yet industrial grade wearable for process industries like the chemical, petrochemical or pharmaceutical industry.

Image: ECOM Instruments

The intelligent wearable combines high camera quality and reliable communication features in an ergonomic design with a weight of just 180g. It’s uses can include many digital workflows like maintenance procedures under the guidance of a remote support expert, who can give instructions and guidance with precision seeing what is happening through the eyes of the technician.

The intrinsically safe smartphone ECOM Smart-Ex® 02 acts as a computing unit, combined with a pocket unit with replaceable battery for power supply, creating an intelligent ecosystem for a wide range of applications. By connecting to the Smart-Ex® 02, Visor-Ex® 01 users can continue to use their hazardous area smartphone without restriction.

The Visor-Ex® 01 has a total of three integrated cameras – two 16-megapixel cameras are centrally positioned to map the wearer's natural field of vision while a secondary camera offers a 6x optical zoom for zooming without loss of quality and scanning of barcodes and QR codes. To clearly mark the filming process, a red LED is installed next to the camera to indicate when the camera is in use. A built in LED torch ensures optimal visibility even under dark conditions. The stable yet flexible mounting of the OLED display counteracts shaking, while integrated acceleration sensors, a gyroscope and a compass help to additionally stabilise the transmitted image.

Four built-in microphones are used for clear communication. Built-in speech recognition and noise suppression ensure quality communication even in noisy industrial environments. Sound is output via an integrated loudspeaker; alternatively, an external headset can be connected to the smart glasses via a 3.5mm jack. The smart glasses can be operated by voice command. For manual operation, there is also a touchpad on the side. All in all, mobile workers can operate the Visor-Ex® 01 system in three different ways – via the microphone's speech recognition function, via the touchpad on the headset unit, or the touch display of the connected Smart-Ex® 02 smartphone.

Visor-Ex® 01 can be attached to a safety helmet with a clip, or the device can be attached directly to the wearer's head with a strap and worn as a head-mounted device. Two joints on the variable extension arm of the OLED display ensure unrestricted vision. The distance to the eye and the field of vision can thus be flexibly adjusted. This also makes it possible to comfortably wear the smart glasses overprotective or eye glasses - good news for all spectacle wearers. Depending on the individual's dominant eye, the OLED display can be aligned either near the right or left eye.

Visor-Ex® 01 is certified according to ATEX/IECEx Zone 1/21 and 2/22 as well as NEC/CEC Division 1 and 2 and will have protection class IP68. It can be used in a temperature range from -20 to +60 °C.

www.ecom-ex.com/en-gb/products/mobile-computing/smart-glasses/visor-ex-01/