2013 has been, among many other things, a year of endlessly consistent updates on Google Glass, the search engine corporation’s first foray into wearable smart technology. From the privacy questions posed by the device to its many features, the Google Glass has been arguably the biggest star of the 2013 technological landscape, and it’s not even on store shelves yet. In fact, just yesterday, Google announced yet another Google Glass feature – the ability of users to snap pictures with the device simply by blinking – and still managed to avoid unveiling a release date. Early 2014 is still the rumored street date, but as the New Year draws ever closer, it seems as if the time has come for Google to set an official date.

They’d better get moving, too. According to a report recently published on PC Magazine’s website, a new pair of competing smart goggles is beginning to grab headlines of its own, and if Google isn’t careful, its “Glass” device could end up having some unanticipated competition. The new smart goggles, developed by the company Atheer Labs and called the “Atheer One,” are nearly halfway to a sizable IndieGoGo crowdfunding goal of $100,000. Clearly, Google isn’t the only company capable of making smart glasses consumers are interested in.

As far as the Atheer One is concerned, the appeal is easy to understand. Rather than just being a knock-off of the Google Glass concept – which itself essentially translates the functions of a smartphone or tablet into a piece of eyewear – Atheer Labs has gone the extra mile and developed a truly unique tech experience. The company is selling its glasses by saying the device will show users “what it feels like to have superpowers.”

That might not be quite true, but for those who have seen the Steven Spielberg science fiction film Minority Report, the Atheer One concept will certainly seem both familiar and futuristic. In that movie, the main character (played by Tom Cruise) navigated his way around his computer system using virtual screens that he could actively grab and move around with his hands.

The Atheer One takes that concept and makes it a reality, allowing users to control everything from contact lists to websites, from exercise routines to games of the iconic Battleship board game, with their bare hands. The action will play out on the Atheer One’s screens – meaning that people using the device will look like they are just waving their hands around at random. No matter how silly its users look though, the Atheer One opens up new capabilities for virtual and augmented reality, and could be a major player in the wearable technology arena.