I-SEE · Project

Smart Eyeglasses with Built-in Sensors for Health Monitoring and Customer Engagement

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine your regular eyeglasses could quietly track how you use your eyes all day — screen time, light exposure, posture — and send that info to your phone or your optician. That's what Luxottica (the company behind Ray-Ban and Oakley) built here: sensor-packed glasses that talk to your smartphone and give your eye doctor real data instead of guesswork. Think of it like a Fitbit, but sitting on your nose instead of your wrist. The glasses connect to apps, car systems, and professional tools, turning ordinary eyewear into a health and lifestyle platform.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries involved (IT, NL, SE)

86%

industry partner ratio in consortium

complete test platform iterations built and tested

total project deliverables produced

industry partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

The eyewear industry generates billions in frame and lens sales but has almost zero data about how customers actually use their glasses day-to-day. Eye care professionals rely on patients' subjective reports rather than real usage data, leading to suboptimal prescriptions and missed health signals. Meanwhile, American and Asian tech giants are racing to turn glasses into smart devices, threatening to cut European eyewear manufacturers out of the high-value digital services layer.

The solution

What was built

The project built a complete smart eyewear ecosystem across 3 prototype iterations, each combining sensor-equipped eyeglass frames, embedded electronics, software, mobile apps, cloud services, and big data processing into a single integrated platform. They also produced 2 structured issue lists documenting and resolving problems between prototyping phases, plus 12 total deliverables covering the full technology stack.

Audience

Who needs this

Eyewear manufacturers wanting to add IoT/smart features to their product linesOptometry chains and eye care networks looking for continuous patient monitoring toolsAutomotive telematics companies developing driver fatigue and attention monitoringHealth insurance companies interested in wearable-based wellness programsConsumer electronics brands entering the smart glasses market

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Eyewear manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Eyewear brands and OEM manufacturers looking to add smart features to their product lines

If you are an eyewear manufacturer watching your margins shrink on commodity frames — this project developed a complete sensor-embedded eyewear platform with electronics, software, cloud services, and mobile apps tested across 3 prototype iterations. The system was built by a 7-partner consortium led by Luxottica, proving that traditional eyewear companies can integrate IoT without depending on big tech firms. You could license or adapt this technology to launch your own smart eyewear line.

Optometry and eye care services

any

Target: Optometry chains and digital health platforms serving eye care professionals

If you are an eye care provider relying on patients remembering their symptoms — this project created professional tools that receive real sensor data from patients' eyeglasses, giving practitioners actual usage patterns instead of self-reported guesses. The platform was designed to connect directly with professional solutions used by opticians and eyecare specialists. This means better diagnoses and new service models based on continuous monitoring.

Automotive telematics

mid-size

Target: In-car electronics integrators and connected vehicle platform developers

If you are an automotive technology company building driver monitoring systems — this project developed eyewear that integrates with in-car telematics, providing a wearable data source for driver alertness, eye fatigue, and viewing behavior. The system was tested as a multi-component ecosystem connecting glasses, electronics, software, and cloud services. This could complement existing cabin monitoring cameras with precise eye-level data.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or integrate this smart eyewear technology?

The project's EU contribution amount is not available in the dataset, and no specific licensing fees are mentioned. Since the coordinator is Luxottica (now part of EssilorLuxottica), any licensing discussion would go through their technology partnerships division. Given the 7-partner consortium and 12 deliverables produced, expect enterprise-level licensing terms.

Can this scale to mass production?

The project was specifically designed for market launch. As an Innovation Action under the Fast Track to Innovation Pilot program, it targeted near-market readiness. Luxottica's involvement as coordinator — with their existing global manufacturing and retail infrastructure — means the technology was developed with mass production in mind from the start.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP ownership follows the Horizon 2020 grant agreement rules, meaning each partner typically owns the IP they generated. With 6 industry partners and 1 research organization across 3 countries (Italy, Netherlands, Sweden), IP rights are distributed across the consortium. Luxottica as coordinator likely holds the core eyewear integration IP.

How mature is the technology — is it ready to deploy?

The consortium completed 3 full test platform iterations, each integrating the complete ecosystem: eyeglasses, electronics, software, and cloud/big data services. Two issue lists tracked and resolved problems between prototyping phases. The Fast Track to Innovation funding scheme specifically targets technologies close to market deployment.

Does this work with existing smartphone platforms?

Yes. The objective explicitly describes integration with smartphones and mobile apps for consumers. The EuroSciVoc tags include mobile phones and operating systems, confirming cross-platform compatibility was a design requirement. The system was built to work within the existing mobile ecosystem rather than requiring proprietary devices.

What regulations apply to health-monitoring eyewear?

Based on available project data, the project targets health care and wellbeing monitoring. Depending on the jurisdiction and specific health claims, this could fall under medical device regulations (EU MDR) or general consumer electronics standards. The project included Fondazione Centro San Raffaele as a scientific partner, suggesting clinical validation was part of the development.

Is there ongoing technical support or development?

The project formally ended in December 2018. However, the consortium partners — particularly Luxottica, ALTEN (software), SIGMA (electronics), and EY (professional services) — are all active companies. Any continuation would depend on commercial agreements with individual consortium members.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavily industry-driven consortium: 6 out of 7 partners (86%) are from industry, with only 1 research organization (Fondazione Centro San Raffaele). The coordinator is Luxottica Group, the world's largest eyewear company and maker of Ray-Ban, Oakley, and dozens of other brands — giving this project direct access to global manufacturing capacity and retail distribution across 3 countries (Italy, Netherlands, Sweden). The presence of EY (professional services), ALTEN (software engineering), and SIGMA (electronics) rounds out the value chain from hardware to software to go-to-market strategy. Notably, there are zero SMEs and zero universities, making this an unusually corporate consortium focused squarely on commercialization rather than basic research.

EY ADVISORY SPAparticipant · IT
FONDAZIONE CENTRO SAN RAFFAELEparticipant · IT
OSPEDALE SAN RAFFAELE SRLthirdparty · IT

How to reach the team

Luxottica Group SPA (Italy) — now part of EssilorLuxottica. Contact through their innovation/technology partnerships division.

Order a report on this consortium

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the I-SEE consortium or explore licensing this smart eyewear platform? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the right team — contact us for a one-page technology brief.

Order a report on this topic More in Digital & ICT