On November 5, 11 months after Google made its painful decision to halt sales of Google Glass, the Japanese eyewear brand JIN opened a new store for its smartglasses known as JINS Meme (pronounced meem) in the Harajuku area of Tokyo.
Meme has packed six-axis sensors, including accelerometers and gyroscopes, into its frames. According to JIN, these sensors measure real-time shifts in blinking and line of sight in eight directions.
The data acquired by Meme is displayed through a dedicated smartphone app that analyzes wearers’ attention levels and movement patterns. The app can even tell wearers’ body age and mental age. Other apps are available that monitor wearers’ drowsiness while driving and correct runners’ posture while running.
At the new store in Harajuku, you can try out the glasses and the app. While wearing Meme, you can even have a go at some games that test your ability to concentrate (these games are quite hard, by the way).
Sold Out Instantly
Meme comes in two models depending on the functionality. The fully functional Meme ES is priced at 39,800 yen (about $270), and Meme MT, which is for runners and other athletes, is priced at 19,800 yen (about $170).
In addition to the apps mentioned above, JIN is expected to release a number of new apps in the future. In fact, the company has officially opened up the API specification for its Meme to the mobile app developer community to encourage developers to create new ideas and apps that utilize the data of wearers.
Meme is now sold at 37 JIN stores throughout Japan, including in Harajuku, and it is expected to be on sale in the U.S. by the end of 2015.
JIN has not disclosed how many Memes were released in the initial shipment, but the company has said it sold out instantly right after the day of release. The company says that the smartglasses will be available again this week.
