ENGO 2 Smartglasses: Head-Up Display for EUC World
Have you ever thought about riding your wheel and always having essential data in your field of vision without taking your eyes off the road ahead? The HUD (Head-Up Display) technology, successfully used in fighter jets and more recently also in higher-end cars, is now accessible to you through ENGO 2 smart glasses powered by ActiveLook technology, integrated with the EUC World app.
For several years, EUC World users have suggested that the app should include support for smart glasses. Checking speed, battery level, or safety margin on a phone or smartwatch requires these devices to be readily accessible and necessitates looking at them, which diverts attention from the road. Although it might seem like a brief distraction, even a momentary glance can be significant, especially during high-speed or off-road rides. Audio alerts are excellent for signaling alarms or periodically providing key ride information, but the ability to display selected parameters directly in the rider’s field of view is the best solution for continuous monitoring without taking your eyes off the road or compromising situational awareness.
The search for the perfect solution
Finding a viable solution suitable for electric unicycle rides has previously proven difficult. Available glasses were either too expensive, heavy, uncomfortable, power-hungry, not weather-resistant, or simply incompatible with apps like EUC World. This changed in 2024 when I discovered the ENGO 2 glasses, manufactured by ENGO Eyewear, a subsidiary of the French company Microoled. Microoled is a leading non-Asian producer of microdisplays used in scopes, night vision devices, sights, and other professional optical solutions. The introduction of ENGO 2 marked a breakthrough that EUC World users had long awaited.
ENGO 2 – Sports glasses with an integrated HUD
ENGO 2 glasses are designed with a built-in HUD, displaying various information directly within the user’s field of vision. What sets these glasses apart is their design tailored for sports activities like running or cycling, making them lightweight and comfortable, virtually indistinguishable from typical cycling glasses. The manufacturer offers two shield sizes – standard and large. The larger shield provide better protection against elements like insects but can make switching the glasses on and off more cumbersome and may be incompatible with some helmets. Regardless of shield size, users can choose between tinted and photochromic shield, with the latter being fully transparent at night (cat. 0-3), making them suitable for nighttime use. In my opinion, photochromic shield is best suited to our needs.
What’s in the box
The glasses come in an elegant package that includes the glasses and all necessary accessories. The robust hard case stands out, featuring a compartment for the glasses and a pocket for accessories like charging cable. Also included is a strap that attaches to the ends of the temples, allowing the glasses to be hung around the neck to prevent falls and damage. The set also comes with a soft case, a lens cleaning cloth, cleaning swabs for the optical display elements, and a magnetic charging cable. Unfortunately, there is only one cable provided, so it is essential to take good care of it, as losing or damaging it would mean being unable to charge the glasses. This is because a standard USB-C connector is not used, but rather a custom magnetic connector. This is not unusual, as similar solutions are used in many other water- and sweat-resistant accessories. For example, my Shokz Openrun Pro bone-conduction headphones use a magnetic cable, although they come with two cables for backup.
Comfort and initial impressions
The glasses are comfortable to wear, but initial impressions can be mixed due to the “core” of the glasses, responsible for data display, which takes up space around the nose and may initially seem to restrict the field of vision. Most of this effect is due to the battery located on the left side of the nose. However, this initial impression quickly fades; the brain adapts, and the feeling of limited vision disappears.
Adjustable nose pads and flexible, rubber-coated temples enhance comfort and minimize the risk of slipping or falling. The included strap provides additional security, effectively eliminating any risk. However, in my experience, using this strap was unnecessary. It’s worth mentioning that when riding with an open-face helmet, I also wear Shokz Openrun Pro bone-conduction headphones, which coexist perfectly with the glasses – both remain comfortable and stationary on the ears. Using the glasses with a full-face helmet also posed no issues, except for some discomfort and slight pain after several hours of riding due to the helmet’s foam pressing the ears against the glasses’ nose pads. This might be an individual issue, but it is worth noting.
Display features and readability
The glasses utilize an optical system with an orange, monochromatic OLED display, projecting an image onto the glass surface in front of the right eye. The image is located in the upper left part of the field of vision, remaining unobtrusive while being easily visible. Reading speed, battery level, safety margins, or other data takes only a fraction of a second.
ENGO 2 glasses are equipped with a light sensor and a gesture detector. The light sensor automatically adjusts display brightness according to external conditions and I have to admit that it works very well. Even on very sunny days, the display remains clear and legible. At night, the display brightness decreases to avoid blinding and obstructing vision. Under low-light conditions, image sharpness might be slightly reduced due to the wide pupil opening, affecting eye’s depth of field. However, this does not significantly impact data readability.
Battery life and gesture sensor functionality
A significant advantage of the ENGO 2 glasses is their long battery life, providing approximately 8–9 hours of continuous use per charge, verified in real conditions. Disabling the gesture sensor extends this duration to several additional hours. While the gesture sensor can be convenient, it can also be problematic. Performing various, user-defined actions by waving a hand in front of the glasses is useful, such as switching data views or controlling the horn or headlamp. However, the sensor sometimes fails to respond or misinterprets actions, reacting unexpectedly to motions like putting the glasses on a table. During rain, it can even react to raindrops or stop functioning altogether. The sensor also accounts for half of the glasses’ power consumption, so disabling it might be beneficial for longer usage and more reliable performance, with quick actions (including switching screens on the glasses) controlled by a Flic button. Its operation is more reliable, and three different actions can be assigned to one button. The disabled sensor will then allow the glasses to run longer on a single charge and charge less frequently.
Downsides
The downside of the glasses is the inability to use corrective lenses. Therefore, the only solution to this problem seems to be contact lenses; however, not everyone can or wants to use them. This is probably the only limitation, but it is a significant one for some users. Another notable drawback is the price. Although it is significantly lower compared to other smart glasses, it is still clearly higher than that of traditional sports glasses. It is worth mentioning here that the manufacturer allows the return of the glasses within 30 days of purchase, with a refund of the price.
EUC World integration
Using ENGO 2 glasses with EUC World is seamless. What’s worth knowing, you don’t need to install the ActiveLook app to use the glasses with the EUC World app! EUC World connects directly to the glasses right out of the box and doesn’t need any other apps, including the manufacturer’s app. This does not mean, of course, that I advise against installing manufacturer’s apps. All I mean is to remember that running other apps connecting to the glasses at the same time or leaving them running in the background can cause problems connecting the EUC World app to the glasses.
Pairing
Before starting pairing, just make sure that the glasses are on, not connected to any app and that no other ENGO 2 glasses are nearby. During pairing, the app will connect to the first glasses found.
Pairing the glasses with the app is trivial and quick. Simply turn the glasses on, then go to the EUC World app menu, select “Smartglasses” and then check “Enable smartglasses” and wait for the glasses to pair with the app, which can take several seconds.
From that moment on, the glasses are ready for use and pre-configured. As long as the glasses are paired and enabled in the “Smartglasses” menu, the EUC World app will automatically search for once-paired glasses and connect to them as soon as they are found. This means that to start using the glasses, all you have to do is turn on the EUC World app after which you turn on the glasses. Shutting down is even simpler – just close the EUC World app. The glasses, once disconnected from the app, will automatically turn off after a short time.
In case you need to pair the app with other glasses, just use the “Unpair glasses” option. To use it, you must first disable the smartglasses feature by unchecking the “Enable smartglasses” option.
Views
The EUC World app can display various parameters of your choice in the form of eight individually configurable views. Four layouts are available, with two views in each. These are pre-configured, but you will probably find it useful to customize them to your needs. The views can be switched from the application menu, but it is much more convenient to switch them with a quick action assigned, for example, to a gesture or a press of the Flic button. Since you are unlikely to need as many as eight views, you can limit the switching to only the ones you need.
The ninth view is the weather radar view. This is a particularly useful option for those who take longer, multi-hour rides and want easy access to weather information along the route. This screen shows nearby areas with falling rain and also thunderstorms. As I write these words, work is underway to supplement this view with temperature, wind direction and strength, and weather type for the rest of the day.
Configuration
It’s possible that the default configuration won’t be optimal for you, so it’s a good idea to configure the glasses to your needs. First, you may want to adjust the position of the image so that it is as visible as possible. After all, it may happen that some edge of the screen is obscured and moving the image vertically or horizontally will allow you to see the whole thing.
The automatic image brightness adjustment works very well, however, you can turn it off and set the image brightness to a fixed level of your choice. My experience tells to leave it in the auto mode, though.
The gesture sensor is used in the app as an additional way to trigger quick actions. So you can assign to it the function of switching views by selecting “Previous view” or “Next view” from the “Gesture action” menu. By default, the gesture sensor is enabled, but it is not assigned to any action, so you have to configure it prior to use. As I wrote earlier, the gesture sensor doesn’t work very well and can be tricky. So you can turn it off and call quick actions with other accessories – smartwatch or Flic button. Disabling the gesture sensor will translate into almost twice as long operation of the glasses on a single charge.
My impressions & summary
I have to admit honestly that initially I wasn’t too keen on the integration of the ENGO 2 glasses with the EUC World app. Perhaps this was due to previous, unsuccessful attempts I had made with other products of this type. But I was also unenthusiastic about integrating the Garmin Varia rear view radar with the app, after which it turned out that the rear view radar improves my situational awareness so much that now I don’t go on any long route without it. Today, I also can’t imagine riding on the wheel without the ENGO 2 glasses. They are comfortable, functional, work flawlessly and – like the rear view radar – raise my situational awareness to a completely new level. I get similar feedback from other users.
Will these glasses also work well for you? You won’t know unless you try them. Although they are the cheapest glasses with HUD function, they are much more expensive than classic sports glasses. Fortunately, you always have the option to return the glasses within 30 days and get a refund. You can buy the glasses from the Eunicycles.eu online store or directly from the manufacturer’s website. Also keep in mind that ENGO 2 integration is a Premium feature, so you may need to upgrade your account.
Big thanks
First and foremost, I would like to thank Eunicycles, a Polish seller of electric unicycles and accessories, which provides sales and service throughout the European Union. Eunicycles has sponsored and significantly supported the work on introducing support for ENGO 2 glasses into the EUC World application. I also want to say a big thank you to the developer of the WheelDash app, who brought the existence of ENGO 2 glasses to my attention. WheelDash is a great, free app for Garmin watch owners. Connecting directly to the wheel, it is an ideal solution for those who do not need the more advanced features offered by EUC World. And of course, WheelDash also supports ENGO 2 smartglasses!
