Intel pens deal with Luxottica to create smart eyewear

Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses manufacturer is already working with Google to make Glass available on the high street

Chip giant Intel has inked a deal with luxury and sports eyewear company Luxottica to work together to create smart eyewear.

The companies are to collaborate in research and development to predict what smart technology for eyewear will look like in the future, and aim to fuse luxury and sports eyewear with smart technology.

"The ultimate goal is to help pioneer [what smart eyewear will look like] and deliver smart, fashion-forward products that are meaningful and desirable to consumers," Intel stated.

The companies expect to launch their first product in 2015.

"Through our collaboration with Luxottica Group, we will unite our respective ecosystems and bring together Intel's leading-edge silicon and software technology with Luxottica's design innovation and consumer expertise," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich.

"We expect the combination of our expertise to help drive a much faster pace of innovation and push the envelope of what's possible."

Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses manufacturer Luxottica has already teamed up with Google in a bid to make Google Glass technology available on the high-street.

At the time Google admitted that while consumers were unlikely to see Glass on their favourite Oakleys or Ray-Bans tomorrow it did "mark the start of a new chapter in Glass's design".

Google said Luxottica "understands how to build, distribute and sell great products that their clients and customers love".

On today's announcement, Massimo Vian, CEO of Luxottica Group, said it was "an incredible opportunity" for the firm.

"Together with Intel, we will continue to develop the potential of wearables, expanding the limits of what eyewear can be. We'll lead the change to create frames that are as intelligent and functional as they are beautiful," he said.

Smart glasses are a subsection of the Internet of Things (IoT) market - which incorporates all devices that are connected to the internet. But consumers aren't the only ones that are buying IoT solutions - a recent study by Zebra Technologies and Forrester found that over 60 per cent of UK firms had deployed IoT solutions.