Could the ViXion01 Auto-Focusing Eyewear eventually replace glasses?

Developed by a startup spun-off from Japanese optics giant Hoya – who is well-known for producing eyeglass lenses and camera lens filters – the ViXion01 Auto-Focusing Eyewear was first crowdfunded on a Japanese website before now being available for pre-order. 

We managed to test the ViXion01 at CES 2024 and found that it actually does work. A small dial at the bottom of the frame calibrates the lenses to the desired focus, and a Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor in the front detects the distance between the wearer and an object, thus allowing for the powered lenses to continually adjust the focus to maintain a sharp, legible image. According to its creators, this creates less strain on the eyes and vision is clearer.

A single charge allows for up to 10 hours of use, which should be more than enough for most use cases. However, the lenses are rather tiny, which could affect how useable it is for actual, day-to-day use. ViXion's website claims the eyewear can be used for hobbies, crafts and other tasks and we can definitely see how these can be useful for model kit builders and the like. For activities that require a larger field of view or peripheral vision, it might not work as well.

The design is at least rather futuristic and not too clunky at just 50g, thanks to Japanese design firm Nendo, although you'll definitely still get stares if you wear these out and about. 

The ViXion01 Auto-Focusing Eyewear is available for pre-order in Japan starting from 99,900 yen (~S$917) including shipping. Unfortunately, orders can only be shipped to Japanese addresses and deliveries will start from February 2024. 

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