Garmin Insider News

ActiveLook Heads Up Display For Garmin

1 August 2022
the5krunner

Activelook Heads Up Display For GarminActiveLook Heads Up Display for Garmin

Thank you: @Alberto for the heads up

A company called MicroOLED has a development platform that it calls ActiveLook and it has just released a Gen 2.0 update which integrates with Garmin CIQ . The Garmin hook-up got me to look a little more at what the company does.

First Impressions

The company video shows good resolutions for workout data beamed inside glasses. What ActiveLook seems to give is much better clarity than similar products like the Swim Goggles by FORM Swim. FORM has a great product and is unique in what it has delivered to swimmers using Garmin and Apple watches but its display is highly pixelated. If workout data whilst running and cycling can be beamed at high resolution from a Garmin CIQ field and into glasses as the manufacturers claim then I’m impressed.

The FORM swim product is a little bulky but OK. However, MicroOLED offers a module that weighs a mere 6grams with a battery life of up to 12 hours. Those stats seem highly workable in a real-world product.

Aesthetics? The glasses that it bundles the tech with seem cool enough and I’m sure the tech could be integrated by 3rd party sports goggles or glasses makers.

FORM’s owners originally worked on a bike product. So a heads-up display for runners and cyclists is nothing new. Is there a market?

The Opportunity

There are opportunities for a heads-up display outside of running and cycling but let’s focus on those two sports for the sake of brevity and the likely interest of readers.

The biggest problem is a massive #Shrug. Who actually needs this tech? and what benefit will it offer? Sure a H.U.D avoids the need to look down at your bike computer or save the inconvenience of raising your wrist whilst running but neither of those is onerous.

Having said that, I am finding that my eyesight is deteriorating with age. I don’t wear prescription glasses except for reading when perhaps I should #Vanity. I also find that a really hard bike effort can steam up my glasses or that my vision becomes slightly blurred with depleted blood sugar levels. Perhaps also bouncing on Britain’s imperfect road surfaces make a bike computer even harder to read.

Further, I find that on the occasions when I navigate with a watch, Garmin’s free maps are pretty dire and I sometimes have to stop to have a good look at the watch to figure out what’s going on – that was the bane of my running life last week in Cornwall over unfamiliar roads and trails.

Thus I might be able to use a heads-up display for these scenarios

  • When racing or doing a TT – I just want one or two key metrics always visible whilst focussing on avoiding one of Britain’s many potholes in the road ahead.
  • When navigating whilst running, a TBT cue or a breadcrumb image could be useful

So perhaps the opportunities are for bike races and trail runners?

Or perhaps I could make my Garmin or Wahoo display larger digits?

More: activelook.net

 

https://youtu.be/1A2eZtyaXHk

Last Updated on 26 January 2026 by the5krunner

My favourite kit and nutrition

  • Injinji – Runners protect your toes. Avoid discomfort and minor injury. Run more. Run faster. I use them.
  • Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — A small keyring adapter you can use anywhere. Essential when away. I use one.
  • Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session. I use one.
  • Ravemen FR300 — Front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters. I use one.
  • Body Glide – The blue anti-chafe stick that all swimmers and many runners use. I use it.
  • Maurten — The race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mixes engineered to be easy on the stomach. I use them.
  • Garmin Varia RTL515 — A radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Wahoo. I use this model.
  • Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — The power-meter pedals most serious cyclists choose. Accurate, easy to move between bikes. I use this model.
  • Garmin Forerunner 970 — A serious choice for a pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
  • Polar H10 — My daily driver for accurate, waking HRV readings.
  • Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3 — The bike computer that has the feature Garmin lacks: usability. I use mine on most rides.

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3 thoughts on “ActiveLook Heads Up Display For Garmin”

  1. I have a hard time to see the marked at the moment, except for open water swimming where I rely rely would like to have an electronic compass.
     
    For cycling bigger maps and specific key stats would be nice, but only if the price is low… which I doubt it will be.
     
    With running I look forward to the day where the tech is good enough to display chasing zombies while I play “Zombies, run!”.

    1. The first Activelook 2.0 model released.

      https://engoeyewear.com/
      It seems that previous models are upgradeable to v2.0(they won’t take advantage of all the new features).
      Julbo could be the next one (they called the first model Evad-1 so a 2nd model could be in mind).
      I dunno if Garmin will release a Varia Vision 2 based on this but part of the work is done.

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