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By Bloomberg

Even as Google Inc. decided to halt sales of its first smart glasses, Japanese companies see an opportunity to build the product into a success.

Seiko Epson Corp. projects sales of its smart glasses to climb fivefold to 10 billion yen ($84 million) in three years, President Minoru Usui said in a Feb. 17 interview with Bloomberg. The company, based north of Tokyo in Nagano, allows users to access information and documents on the lens, leaving their hands free. Sony Corp. is also marketing smart eyewear.

Seiko Epson employs high-precision sensors already in use in its projectors for its Moverio smart glass, which is targeted at professionals such as engineers and doctors, Usui said. Google stopped selling Glass on Jan. 19, according to its website.

“When these devices become the size of a regular pair of glasses, you will see sales surge, but it will take a while,” said Usui, 59. “There is no doubt that 10 years from now everyone will be using something like that.”

It took Seiko Epson about two and a half years from initiating research into the glasses to selling the first product. The second model sells for about $660, while Google Glass was retailing for $1,500. Sony’s SmartEyeglass will sell for $840.

“Producers need to provide not only hardware but also other things to add value to drive profits, like services” such as applications and software, said Kanae Maita, an analyst at Gartner Inc. in Tokyo.