Sunglasses always seem to mysteriously walk off on their own, leaving their owners to helplessly hold up a hand to shield the sun wherever they go. Now, that all changes. Australian eyewear company Tzukuri is making sunglasses with embedded iBeacon Bluetooth Low Energy chips that will work with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to ensure that your shades never get lost again.
If you’re out and about with your sunglasses and iDevice, they pair up to wirelessly tether to one another. If you’re at home or at work, the glasses are smart enough to chill and let you go about your business. But when you’re anywhere else, the Tzukuri sunglasses will send push notifications through the app when you start to wander off without them. They alert you at 16, 32, and 50 feet if you leave somewhere without them…or if they leave somewhere without you. The idea of someone nicking them while you’re out isn’t entirely unthinkable – the glasses are quite stylish and have been scientifically designed to fit the face better than other brands.
If your sunglasses still manage to get lost or stolen, the app shows a map similar to the one used when you activate the “Find My iPhone” feature. If they’re nearby, such as somewhere in your home, the app can lead you right to them. If you’ve happened to leave them somewhere, the app shows you their last known location. The tiny embedded chip is solar powered and uses very little energy, so they should stay charged and powered on without you ever having to think about it. As an added bonus, the glasses can also let you know when you start to walk off without your iPhone. If the glasses sense your phone walking away, the phone will emit an extra-loud notification to bring you back before you abandon your phone.