Remember Google Glass? The concept might not be completely dead in the water, seeing that during the Consumer Electronics Show, Lenovo introduced the ThinkReality A3 lightweight smart glasses. The Chinese manufacturer calls it “one of the most advanced and versatile enterprise smart glasses to come to market”, with the ThinkReality A3 part of a comprehensive digital solutions offering to deliver intelligent transformation in business and bring smarter technology to more people.

The ThinkReality A3 differs from the Google Glass concept since this tethers to a PC or select Motorola smartphones1 via a USB-C cable depending on the needs of smart workers anywhere. Versatile, portable, and comfortable, the ThinkReality A3 fits like sunglasses and can be enhanced with industrial frame options for safer and more durable use, according to Lenovo. Immersive but not isolating, the AR smart glasses are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 Platform for high-quality performance and feature stereoscopic 1080p displays presenting the user with up to five virtual displays. An 8 MP RGB camera provides 1080p video for remote expert use cases while the dual fish-eye cameras provide room-scale tracking.

Lenovo believes the ThinkReality A3 can transform work across many levels of the enterprise - from customised virtual monitors and 3D visualization to Augmented Reality (AR) assisted workflows and immersive training.

“The A3 is a next generation augmented reality solution – light, powerful and versatile. The smart glasses are part of a comprehensive integrated digital solution from Lenovo that includes the advanced AR device, ThinkReality software, and Motorola mobile phones. Whether working in virtual spaces or supporting remote assistance, the ThinkReality A3 enhances workers’ abilities to do more wherever they are,” said Jon Pershke, Lenovo VP of Strategy and Emerging Business, Intelligent Device Group.

PC Edition for Virtual Monitors

The ThinkReality A3 PC Edition tethers to a notebook or mobile workstation to enable users to position multiple, large virtual monitors in their field of view and use Windows software tools and applications. Virtual monitors expand the value of PCs, creating more productivity, privacy, and immersive experiences for industries like finance, architecture and engineering, as well as for any remote and mobile worker where space and privacy are limited, Lenovo notes.

Virtual monitors are optimised and compatible with Lenovo’s leading ThinkPad laptops and mobile workstations powered by Intel and AMD Ryzen processors.

Industrial Edition for Enhanced Decision Making in Complex Environments

The ThinkReality A3 Industrial Edition tethers to select Motorola smartphones for hands-free, AR-supported tasks in complex work environments. The Industrial Edition is supported by the ThinkReality software platform, which enables commercial customers to build, deploy, and manage mixed reality applications and content on a global scale, with global support.

For use in scenarios from factory floors and laboratories to busy retail and hospitality spaces, certified turnkey applications on the ThinkReality platform powers remote assistance, guided workflows, and 3D visualization. Lenovo believes industrial workers now have a light, flexible and scalable set of smart glasses to increase productivity and safety while decreasing error rates in daily tasks.

There has been no information about the Lenovo ThinkReality A3’s availability/price in South Africa yet.