How a Calgary business is using smart glasses to make unique POV cooking tutorials

A Calgary business has found a unique way to use smart glasses as a tool to boost its presence on social media.

Smart glasses are becoming more and more common, which prompted Gordon Fontaine, the owner of Soffritto Italian Market, to embrace them in his business.

He uses the high-tech frames to create tutorials showing off how he makes various classic dishes – like a margherita pizza.

"All of these motions are kind of hard to explain, which is why video makes a lot of sense for this,” Fontaine explained in one of the tutorials while making a pizza crust.

The glasses give the viewer the point of view of the person wearing them. While the tutorials can be used to train new staff, they're also a hit online.

"Social media was the big thing. In the food business, we have to work with our hands, and we have to demonstrate and show how things are going, so holding a phone and trying to get it in is kind of awkward, so I thought the best opportunity was the glasses,” Fontaine said.

Smart glasses have been around for years but have seen a surge in popularity as major brands like Meta, Snap Inc. and Amazon have released models.

The frames carry a range of features depending on the brand, with most costing $200-$600.

Almost all can take photos, play music and take calls, while some even have artificial intelligence built-in, allowing them to answer questions or even identify famous landmarks.

"It's like the Model T Ford days of wearables, and smart glasses are no exception. It's really early. You know you have to be kind to be kind of geeky to invest and wear one of these smart glasses,” said tech expert Marc Saltzman.

As the tech works to carve out its place in the market, there are still some kinks. Battery life is a challenge, lasting only a few hours on most pairs.

There are also privacy concerns around the collection of personal data and the ability to record or take photos covertly.

Privacy lawyer David Fraser says those concerns are valid, but they’re similar to ones shared when smartphones first became the norm.

"We have seen over time that technology has been the focus of a lot of concern related to privacy, and rightly so, but in some instances, it's overblown,” Fraser noted.

Despite the issues, the tech is moving forward fast.

Developers are delving further into the glasses' use of AI and also exploring augmented reality – where digital content is overlayed onto real life.

"I think eventually, we are going to see virtual reality headsets like these get smaller and smaller into a pair of eyeglasses and maybe even contacts and maybe even an operation shortly thereafter,” said Saltzman.

For now, smart glasses users like Fontaine are just happy taking a call.

"Honestly, the phone call side of it and/or music is lovely. Again, (my) hands might be dirty, I might be stirring something, I just hit the side of the glasses. I have great sound, and the person on the other side hears great sound as well,” said Fontaine.