Every time a new technology appears, it immediately impacts numerous fields. While most people believe that new technologies appear out of nowhere, just by someone making a breach, that cannot be farther from the truth. Instead, we can see that the US Army as an institution tests all technologies before they are released to the public. There are numerous examples of this happening.
Some people even say the internet was tested for a decade before it became public technology. With that in mind, nobody should be surprised why so many other technologies follow this principle. The latest example of this happening is military eyewear. Of course, this is not the first thing these have appeared on the market, but the current situation is completely different from what we are used to.
Naturally, you can find not only one military eyewear on the market. In fact, there are numerous items. Probably the most popular model at this point is military aviator sunglasses. You can see them being worn by so many people out there. The impact of this trend is effective, and we can see it being even more popular in the future. Today, we want to discover the allure of military eyewear. Without further ado, let us begin.
Ballistic and Tactical Eyewear
Most people don’t understand what ballistic means. Basically, this term means free-moving object. In the past, this term was used to describe cannons or missiles. Naturally, the ammo was fired from a fixed site. Regarding the tactical part, we are talking about the gear that comes as a part of military operations. Two branches come from this term; the first one is combat, and the other one is gathering intelligence.
In both cases, these terms mark the gear that provides extra impact protection in military environments. As we’ve mentioned before, the gear used by the army slowly penetrates the public markets. Eyewear is the best example of how this is done. The reason is quite simple: the technologies used by the army are highly sophisticated, and you will find them improving the everyday gear we use. Once again, sunglasses are a clear example of that.
All the gear undergoes a significant number of tests to prove its efficiency. At the same time, the design of the gear also plays a significant role in its popularity of the gear. Not only must they look good, but wearing eyewear like this is impossible without it being as comfortable as possible. Therefore, the end user will find the one that suits all their needs and preferences. Of course, this requires conducting research.
Combat Testing
Besides testing the eyewear under different weather conditions, combat testing is another major part. What does this mean? It means the eyewear should be as efficient as the soldiers enter combat. Naturally, the armies can create these conditions by implementing various techniques. Sure, implementing these is costly, and they affect the product long term. They even impact the price in the stores after the release.
In the last few years, we have seen a breakthrough in eyewear technology. Of course, we can see the same trend in practically all industries. The main trend today is artificial intelligence. Sure, this has just appeared in eyewear, but there is no doubt it will become a major part of the gear we will use in many years. Besides AI, augmented reality is another side of the same coin. The combination of these two is addressed as mixed reality, or MR.
Some voices claim that the principle these use is practically the same as in the case of night goggles. We beg to differ. Night goggles provide night vision, focusing on the heat as a source to find the potential target. The combination of AI and AR, better known as MR, will provide much more than that. The amount of information soldiers will have more than we can imagine at the moment. However, we must wait a few years before this technology becomes more available.
Military Eyewear Market
When it comes to the military eyewear market, and we are referring to the market available to everyone, it is quite diverse. The number of products you will find is nothing short of exceptional. Contrary to popular belief, this trend appeared in the sixties and seventies. Even more interesting is that this became a thing after World War II when production increased massively.
The best example you will find is the concept of military aviator sunglasses. These are quite widespread, and you will see individuals wearing them every single day around you. The technology used to make these back in the past is now present in many products, as you can imagine. The talk about this topic wouldn’t be complete without mentioning this product. But this is not the only example we can name.
You can see numerous other examples, such as t-shirts or cargo pants. Besides the aviator sunglasses, you will find numerous, let us say, tactical eyewear. It addresses the products with additional features that help with numerous situations soldiers will experience on a battlefield. How does this translate to the market available to everyone? Well, it needs to be said that these products are versatile, and you need to conduct thorough research.
How is this manifested? For instance, the materials these are made from. You will find materials such as aluminum, memory nylon, and plastic. Sure, we will agree that plastic is a widespread material. However, the plastic used to make military wear is much more durable than the one we use for making various other products. With that in mind, it is good to understand these things before you purchase.
The Bottom Line
Finding the eyewear that meets your needs and preferences is not easy, especially if you know the additional features. As you can see, their number is quite high. Here, you can understand the complete concept, from its beginnings to what it represents now. We are certain that this insight will be more than helpful in your future decisions regarding purchasing gear like this.