A Local Startup Is Making 3D-Printed, Customized Sports Sunglasses

Skelmet sunglasses/Photo provided

With more than 7 billion unique faces in the world, the makers of Skelmet thought, why make sunglasses that are one-size-fits-all?

The local startup is out to make eyewear as personalized as possible, through a proprietary 3D printing and scanning process that results in completely customized sports sunglasses. The brand is crowdfunding its products with an Indiegogo campaign that launched Tuesday.

To start, a user must download Skelmet’s soon-to-be-released app and use it to complete a 3D scan of her head. Then, she selects her desired lens and frame style. Skelmet uses those selections, as well as the myriad data points gleaned from the 3D scan, to print a pair of sunglasses as unique as the customer who bought them.

In addition to a promised perfect fit, Skelmet says its sunglasses are lightweight, sweat and impact resistant, and aerodynamic. The anti-fogging lenses also offer UV protection and can be customized based on your vision prescription. The company says certain lenses and frames lend themselves particularly well to specific activities, such as running, biking, skiing, and golfing.

The Falcon, Skelmet’s first model, start at $229 on Indiegogo. Early adopters will have to wait for their bespoke shades, though—the company says Indiegogo orders likely won’t ship out until September.

Learn more in this promotional video: