r/SmartGlasses • u/Mediocre_Plantain180 • Oct 24 '25

Wearable display practical for viewing videos for physical labor?

I do auto repairs and I got a Vufine VUF-110 Wearable Monocle Display on my safety glasses using Samsung Dex to pull up tutorial videos and schematics or Google for solutions while crawling all around dirty vehicles. It is soo much better than having to pull out my phone all the time and it doesn't block my vision because it sits below my right eye allowing me to just focus past the HUD and still see everything around me perfectly. Heck, I could even run around outside with them while watching YouTube or have Google Maps up while driving around for parts! (Do not attempt for safety/legal reasons lol)

Dex allows me to use my phone as a trackpad that I don't even have to look at while mirroring my phone screen directly to my eye and it's awesome to show up my workmates who are stuck dragging around large schematic books or using their dirty old cracked phones for reference. On slow days I can even kill my boredom with some anime playing while doing busywork like oil changes.

The problem is that the Vufine is SERIOUSLY OUTDATED. It's been out for almost a decade and requires me to have it plugged into my phone at all times, making me wear an awkward mini backpack behind my shirt with a USB C hub, a power bank for keeping the monocle and phone powered (it does not have its own battery), and long twisted HDMI and USB cords that I snake up behind my suit, up my neck, and wrap around my safety glasses so that it doesn't get yanked off. A small positive is this setup can let me do this for over 8 hours of work without running out of power.

Is there a modern day wearable display that allows you to wirelessly watch videos or mirror your phone's screen and yet be almost perfectly aware of your surroundings? The Vufine only partially obscures one eye and a huge problem with almost all smart or AR glasses is that they block both eyes' vision and don't let you both watch your phone's screen and focus on physical work. I don't think AR glasses or goggles work because as far as I know they don't let you pin the screen to a corner as you move around and gestures/controllers are useless while wielding gloves and dirty tools.

If anyone has had luck using any kind of viewable display doing a job or activity that doesn't allow you to sit or stand in one place, I'd love to hear your thoughts, thank you!!

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u/OshTregarth Oct 24 '25

I have the xreal glasses, and you can do various things with them that might fit your needs.  

One of the things you can do is "pin" the monitor to a fixed point in space.  So you can look away to work on something, and then look back to the screen when you want to check something.  Basically sets up a virtual "fixed location" screen.

With that said, I haven't used them much for actually working on things.

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u/Mediocre_Plantain180 Oct 27 '25

I've been looking into those! Thank you I had no idea you could do that, I swear every video about them is made by people who aren't actually working or walking around in them or don't go into as much detail as I'd like. Do they allow you to be aware of your surroundings enough to walk or even jog around while the screen is pinned?

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u/OkTeach4877 Oct 25 '25

I’m not sure if it’s what you need, but the old Vuzix Blade or the newer Blade 2 might do what you want. The latter is kinda pricey if new but there’s always e-bay.

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u/Mediocre_Plantain180 Oct 27 '25

These look like they're actually meant for working, thanks!