Imagine you're cycling or skiing and want to see your speed, heart rate, or directions — but you can't keep pulling out your phone. This Italian company built smart glasses that project information directly onto the lens, like a fighter jet pilot's heads-up display but shrunk down to fit normal-looking sunglasses. Unlike bulky competitors that cost over €1,000 and block your view with a clunky screen, these glasses cost €399 and leave your field of vision completely clear. They also built a developer toolkit so app makers can create their own sports apps for the glasses.
Athletes and outdoor sports enthusiasts need real-time performance data (speed, heart rate, navigation) while keeping their hands free and eyes on the action. Existing AR glasses are too bulky, too expensive at over €1,000, and block the user's field of view — which is exactly why products like Google Glass were discontinued.
The project built UNO-Sport AR glasses using patented heads-up display technology that projects information directly onto the lens with 0% view obstruction, priced at €399. They also delivered a prototype SDK allowing third-party developers to build their own sports apps for the glasses.
If you are a sports tech company looking to expand beyond smartphone screens — this project developed an SDK that lets you integrate your existing fitness or navigation app directly into affordable AR glasses priced at €399. Your users get real-time data projected onto the lens with 0% view obstruction, meaning they never have to look away from the trail, road, or slope.
If you are an outdoor tour operator or gear retailer wanting to offer premium guided experiences — this project built AR glasses that display contextual information hands-free during action sports. At €399 per unit versus competitors above €1,000, you could equip guided groups with real-time route and safety data without the prohibitive cost of existing AR headsets.
If you are a sports coaching platform struggling to give athletes real-time feedback during training — this project created glasses that project performance metrics directly onto the lens center, not off to the side. The open SDK means you can build custom coaching overlays, and the €399 price point makes it feasible to equip entire training squads rather than just elite athletes.
The UNO-Sport glasses are priced at €399 per unit. The project objective states that competing AR glasses cost over €1,000, making this product roughly 60% cheaper than alternatives on the market.
The project was run by a single Italian SME (GLASSUP SRL) with €1,078,000 in EU funding under the SME Instrument Phase 2, which is specifically designed to help SMEs scale up. Based on available project data, the company developed its own patented projection technology, suggesting in-house manufacturing capability, but no specific production volume figures are provided.
GLASSUP SRL holds its own patented technology for projecting images onto lens surfaces, described as similar to fighter jet heads-up display technology. Any licensing or integration would need to be negotiated directly with GLASSUP SRL as the sole IP holder.
Yes. One of the project deliverables is a prototype SDK (Software Development Kit) for developers to integrate UNO-Sport into their own applications. This means third-party app developers can build custom sports apps that display information on the glasses.
The project ran from 2017 to 2019 and produced a prototype SDK. The company had been developing the technology since 2012, giving it roughly 5 years of development before the EU-funded phase. The product had a set retail price of €399, suggesting near-market readiness, though current availability should be confirmed directly with the company.
According to the project data, UNO-Sport solves three specific failures of competitors: bulk and size, high price (over €1,000), and field-of-view obstruction. Their patented technology projects the image onto the lens itself with 0% obstruction, places it at the center of view rather than at the bottom or side, and fits into a normal glasses form factor at €399.
This is a solo project run entirely by GLASSUP SRL, an Italian SME that received €1,078,000 under the SME Instrument Phase 2. With 100% industry composition and no university or research partners, the consortium is purely commercial — the company owns all IP and controls the full product roadmap. For a potential business partner, this means a single point of contact for licensing or integration deals, but also that there is no academic research institution involved that might complicate IP negotiations. The SME-2 funding scheme specifically targets companies ready to bring innovations to market, which signals the EU evaluators considered this technology commercially viable at the time of funding.
GLASSUP SRL is an Italian SME based in Italy — contact through their website glassuplab.com or via SciTransfer for a warm introduction.
Want to explore integrating AR display technology into your sports products or coaching platform? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the GLASSUP team and provide a full technology brief.
