The thought of sporting a pair of advanced smart glasses surely tantalizes the technological taste buds of many futuristic geeks, but their cooler counterparts are unconvinced. Google Glass are the most well-known smart glasses, and their functions are somewhat nerdy in nature, however not all smart glasses will turn you into a Glasshole.

There are some makes that are cool, Recon Jet for instance are designed to transform the average cyclist into the Terminator on wheels (I class that as cool).

The latest Heads-Up technology to be unveiled comes from the Kopin Corporation, a leading developer and provider of head-worn wearables to the military, industrial and consumer market.

The Kopin Solos have a 4mm Vista display mounted on the right side which projects a 5″ translucent display. It is capable of projecting high-resolution images that are readable in bright conditions.

The Solos provide a platform for sensors to share and display performance data. They are ANT+ compatible, so if you own other ANT+ fitness wearables the Solos can sync and display all your metrics in real-time, including speed, heart rate, distance, cadence, power, duration and more

The Solos can be controlled hands-free as  they’re equipped with voice command technology – a good thing really as they’re designed for cyclists. They also deliver incoming caller ID and notifications from social media apps installed on your smartphone. To help keep tabs on your performance the Solos’ stereo speakers provide audio cues that are apparently audible on the road due to ambient noise auto adjusting capabilities.

The Solos battery is housed within the eyeglass frame, the company claims it lasts six hours between charges. The smartphone app is compatible with Android and iOS and can be synced with popular third-party training apps.

The Smart glasses were put through their paces in a wind tunnel facility to ensure optimal aerodynamics and minimal resistance to the additional hardware. Anti-slip temple and nose pads ensure stability and reduce the chances of the glasses meeting the concrete if you happen to run over a sleeping policeman.

Various interchangeable lenses will be available: Polarized, clear, and iridescent orange. Kopin supply their tech to the military, so their gear is commissioned to be robust. The Solos are no different with frames made from durable flexible polycarbonate to protect against impact and absorb shock.

How much these smart glasses for cyclists are going to cost is anybody’s guess at the moment. Recon Jet are almost certainly going to be their main competition. Recon Jet have a GPS built into the HUD and cost $499 USD.

There doesn’t seem to be a built-in GPS with on the Solos, and if they are going to compete with the Jet I reckon their price will need to under the $499 mark.

The release date of the Solos is also sealed with tight lips for now. Find out more at the official website