OAKLEY Chameleon by emanuele andrea patton from italy

The Oakley Chameleon concept

Athletes have one goal: to excel in their discipline. To do that they need to train hard and have the best tools to help them achieve their full potential. Sunglasses are an essential piece of equipment that should not only protect the eyes of a sportsperson, but also enhance his or her concentration.

The Oakley Chameleon concept aims to fuse functionality, comfort and entertainment into a new product that bring some of the most advanced technologies - like 3D scanning and bone-conducting transmission - to define a new category of multimedia sunglasses.

The Chameleon glasses are composed of three elements:
- two side grips that adhere to the temple and cheekbone area
- a shade that includes nose bridges and connects to the side grips

Sunglasses should first protect the eyes of a person and provide the best possible visibility. This is not an issue for Oakley, thanks to its optical superiority. But since our bodies are shaped differently, often performance does not go along with comfort. That is where technology comes into play, thanks to the 3D scanning and 3D printing.

Already now it's possible to scan our bodies three dimensionally, thanks to small modules that can be incorporated in our home devices (see structure.io and google.com/atap/projecttango/#project) and with this new personal data, it is relatively easy to adapt a design shape to fit perfectly each of us.

The Chameleon concept requires the user to scan his head and send this information to Oakley so that all the components of the glasses that are in touch with his skin are customized to fit perfectly.

The shade
The shade is custom cut accordingly to the shape of the head of the user. It connects to the sides by sliding into them. It also features nose bridges that are rapid prototyped rubber and after glued to it with UV adhesive.

The sides
The grips host the technological side of the concept. They are shaped to adhere on the temple and thanks to a textured neoprene/lycra fabric they provide excellent grip. The hinge also hosts a soft spring that keeps a soft pressure on the skin.

These two elements also include bone-conducting headphones that guide mini vibrations through the cheekbones to the inner ears, delivering sound without plugging or covering them. This technology has been rapidly developing in the last decade and offers many advantages, like the possibility to continue to hear all outside sounds (very important for individuals training with the need for constant encouragement and instructions from a coach) as well as being waterproof.

Since bone conduction bypasses the ear drum, many people with hearing loss will also be able to hear clearly and comfortably without the need of a hearing aid.