Canadian startup Thalmic Labs, now called North, is hoping to do what other companies have failed to do: Get people to start wearing smart glasses.

The Amazon.com Inc.-backed startup has said that its glasses, called “Focals,” are as much about style and experience as they are about the technology that drives them. As North co-founder and Chief Executive Stephen Lake said in an interview with Engadget, people so far haven’t been enamored with attempts at trying “to stick a computer or tech on your face.”

That, along with pushback from people who feared they might be surreptitiously recorded, as well as high prices, is why earlier attempts — most famously Google LLC’s Glass — have failed to catch on.

The glasses are custom-made to fit the face of the user and aren’t too bulky. They only look different from a regular pair of glasses at the end of the frame, which is larger to fit a small projector. This projects a transparent, holographic display that is seen only by the wearer of the glasses.

What the user sees is pretty standard, with North saying Focals were created for “everyday life.” What that means is that users will be able to see incoming text messages and the time and get the weather or directions, for example. The emphasis is that this is subtle so as not to discombobulate the user.

“The core philosophy of the product is about keeping you present in the world,” Lake told Engadget. “It’s subtle and designed around the human experience.”

The glasses are controlled by a ring that fits around the index finger — called the “Loop” — that can be controlled by the thumb manipulating a joystick. Unlike previous iterations of smart glasses, this means that not only do you look as if you’re wearing a normal pair of spectacles, but you can control what you see in them discreetly.

Focals, which pair with iPhones or Android phones via Bluetooth, also have Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa built in. North said the battery should last up to 18 hours of normal use.

The glasses cost $999, which includes the ring and also a charging case. Because they’re custom-made, and you’re required to have your face scanned before you can don a pair, you’ll have to have to visit North’s Brooklyn or Toronto showroom. You can also get prescription lenses, but that will take some more time.

Photo: North