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Vuzix Z100

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Vuzix Z100[1][2][3]
Basic Info
VR/AR Augmented reality
Type Smart Glasses
Subtype Enterprise AR
Platform Vuzix Ultralite OEM platform; Vuzix Connect app for iOS and Android
Developer Vuzix
Manufacturer Vuzix
Announcement Date 9 January 2024 (Developer's Edition, CES 2024)
Release Date 20 November 2024 (general availability)
Price US$499 at general availability (November 2024); US$799 developer's package (January 2024)
Website https://www.vuzix.com/products/z100-smart-glasses
Versions Developer's Edition; Z100 (clear or tinted lenses)
Requires Paired Android or iOS smartphone running Vuzix Connect
Display
Display Single microLED projector with monochrome green waveguide
Resolution 640 x 480 (4:3)
Image
Field of View 30 degrees
Optics
Optics Monocular waveguide, right eye
Ocularity Monocular
Audio
Audio None
Microphone None
Camera None
Connectivity
Connectivity Bluetooth Low Energy (2402-2480 MHz)
Power Magnetic charging terminal, USB 5 V
Battery Life Up to 48 hours per charge (Vuzix)
Device
Weight 38 g (Vuzix, November 2024); 35 g stated at the January 2024 announcement
Input Power button; touch areas on both temples
Compliance Regulation (EU) 2016/425 and EN ISO 12312-1:2013 + A1:2015 (sunglasses); ANSI Z80.3 UV blocking; SAR 0.35 W/kg


Vuzix Z100 is a pair of monocular smart glasses developed by Vuzix, an optics and wearable display company based in West Henrietta, New York.[3] The glasses place a transparent, monochrome green heads-up display in front of the right eye using a waveguide and a microLED projector, and they pair over Bluetooth Low Energy with an Android or iOS phone running the Vuzix Connect app. They have no camera, no speakers and no onboard microphone; the phone supplies the content, and the glasses show text and simple graphics such as notifications, captions, directions and workout data.[1][2][4]

Vuzix introduced the Z100 as a Developer's Edition on 9 January 2024, the opening day of CES 2024, and positioned it as an enterprise tool for connecting frontline workers to AI and workflow applications.[5] General availability followed on 20 November 2024 at US$499, with the same hardware sold to consumers as well as businesses.[1] The glasses are built on the Vuzix Ultralite OEM platform, a 38 g reference design that Vuzix has shown to eyewear and electronics makers since 2023, and Vuzix describes the Z100 as a white-label platform for ODM and OEM partners as well as a branded product.[5][6]

Third-party products have used the Z100 as their hardware. Mentra's AugmentOS smart glasses operating system launched on the Z100 in February 2025, and TranscribeGlass sells a captioning service for deaf and hard-of-hearing users built on customized Z100 units.[7][8]

Reviewed 20 September 2026. Announcement and release dates, prices, display and regulatory specifications, Vuzix Connect versions, third-party products and September 2026 availability, checked against the Vuzix press releases, user manual, support pages, store, FY2025 10-K and the cited press reports. About review dates.

Announcement and release

Developer's Edition

Vuzix announced the Z100 on 9 January 2024 in a press release datelined Rochester, New York, and showed it at CES 2024 (9-12 January, booth 20143) in Las Vegas. The announcement described a 35 g frame, a monochromatic waveguide display with monocular optics, Bluetooth pairing with Android or iOS devices, up to 48 hours of battery life on a single charge and safety-glasses certification. It was offered first as a Developer's Edition. Paul Travers, Vuzix's president and chief executive, said the product gave workers "a hands-free wearable that is indistinguishable from a pair a standard glasses."[5] The Developer's Edition came with Android and iOS SDKs, Vuzix Connect demo apps and sample code.[9] Notebookcheck reported a price of US$799 for the developer's package, which included SDK access, sample code and sample applications, and described the target customers as enterprises and corporate developers building workflow tools.[10]

Vuzix's use cases for the device at launch were hands-free access to AI applications, task information, language translation, closed captioning, directions, health and workout status, messaging and workflow output, with the glasses augmenting data from finger scanners, sensors and controllers.[5]

General availability

On 20 November 2024 Vuzix announced general availability of the Z100 at US$499 through its website, paired with version 1.7 of the Vuzix Connect app. The release listed the weight as 38 g and repeated the 48-hour battery figure. New consumer-facing features included a translation and transcription engine that shows what nearby speakers are saying as closed-caption-style text, turn-by-turn Google Maps navigation on Android, a fitness mode showing pace and step counts, and a teleprompter. For enterprise customers the release again described notifications, workflow and task confirmations and data from scanners and sensors.[1] Notebookcheck listed the consumer price as US$499.99, £410.00 or €485.00, in clear and tinted versions, and reported availability in the United States and its territories, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also noted that the glasses have no built-in camera and no integrated AI assistant.[4]

Edition Announced or released Listed price Notes
Z100 Developer's Edition 9 January 2024 (CES 2024) US$799 developer's package (as reported by Notebookcheck) Android and iOS SDKs, demo apps and sample code; enterprise and developer customers[5][10][9]
Z100 (general availability) 20 November 2024 US$499 (Vuzix); US$499.99, £410.00 or €485.00 (Notebookcheck) Clear or tinted lenses; sold to consumers and businesses with Vuzix Connect 1.7[1][4]
Prescription inserts Sold separately US$149.99 Do-it-yourself kit with lenses made to the buyer's prescription; shipped within 4-6 weeks of ordering[11]
Magnetic charging cable Sold separately US$29.99 3-foot USB-A to magnetic cable[12]

Design and hardware

Frame and controls

The Z100 is styled as a conventional pair of glasses. The electronics sit in the temples, with a power button and a status LED on the underside of one temple, a magnetic charging terminal on the other, and touch-sensitive areas on the outside of both temples for tap gestures. Some functions of the paired apps respond to a finger tap on the temple.[3] The developer documentation lists frame-tap detection, power-button monitoring and battery and charger status among the events an app can read from the glasses.[13]

A short press of the power button wakes or sleeps the device. Holding it for 3 seconds shuts the glasses down, holding for 8 seconds enters Bluetooth pairing mode, and holding for 12 seconds performs a factory reset; the LED shows solid white, solid blue or blinking white respectively, and matching icons appear in the display. On boot the glasses search for a previously paired phone and the LED lights solid green; a successful connection shows solid blue for a few seconds together with the phone's name.[3][14]

The vertical position of the image is adjusted mechanically by pinching or spreading the nose bridge, while the position of text within the display is set in the Settings tab of the Vuzix Connect app.[3][15] The manual states that the device is not water resistant and should be cleaned only with a microfiber cloth.[3]

Weight, power and connectivity

Vuzix has given two weights for the Z100: 35 g in the January 2024 announcement and 38 g in the November 2024 general-availability release, the same figure it uses for the Ultralite platform.[5][1][16] Notebookcheck's January 2024 report gave 1.24 oz (35 g) and its November 2024 report gave 38 g.[10][4]

The glasses charge from a USB 5 V source through the supplied magnetic cable; the LED lights red while charging and turns off when charging is complete. Vuzix ships the glasses with a partial charge and recommends a full charge before first use.[3] Vuzix rates the battery at up to 48 hours on a single charge, which it also describes as up to two days of use; the datasheet phrases it as "2+ days of run-time."[1][6][2] No battery capacity has been published.

Connectivity is Bluetooth Low Energy. The regulatory section of the user manual lists a BLE frequency range of 2402-2480 MHz, a maximum RF output of -7.53 dBm and a maximum specific absorption rate of 0.35 W/kg averaged over 10 g of tissue, and identifies the hardware as Vuzix Z100 model number 515.[3] iOS devices connect to the glasses directly, while Android devices connect through the Vuzix Connect app, which must be installed for the glasses and other apps to work.[13][14]

Lenses and certifications

Vuzix's announcements describe the Z100 as safety-glasses certified,[5][1] and Auganix and Notebookcheck reported it as prescription-ready.[9][4] The user manual's conformity section covers the product as sunglasses: it states that the product meets the essential requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 under the harmonised standard EN ISO 12312-1:2013 + A1:2015 and that the lenses meet ANSI Z80.3 1996 UV-blocking requirements. The same section lists "not for use as eye protection against mechanical impact hazards" and "not suitable for driving in twilight or at night" among the limitations of use, and it does not name an impact-protection standard.[3] Prescription lenses are supplied as a separately sold insert kit made to the buyer's prescription.[11]

Display and optics

The Z100 has a single display for the right eye. Vuzix's datasheet specifies a 640 x 480 monochrome green microLED waveguide display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 30 degree field of view.[2] The image is fully transparent, so the wearer sees the surroundings through the lens with text and graphics overlaid; Vuzix describes the combination of monocular waveguide optics and a custom micro display engine as producing a "crisp, transparent, monochrome image."[5][1] Notebookcheck likewise reported a right-eye monocular display with a microLED projector and a 640 x 480 monochrome green image.[10]

The optics come from the Vuzix Ultralite reference design. In his analysis of the CES 2023 Ultralite prototype, display analyst Karl Guttag identified the projector as a Jade Bird Display green-only microLED with 640 x 480 pixels, paired with a Vuzix diffractive waveguide, and reported Vuzix's claim of up to 4,100 nits from the combination; he also noted that the design reduced the forward projection, or eye glow, seen in earlier waveguides.[17] Vuzix's current OEM page lists the Ultralite HUD platform, the variant without audio or camera, as an MI-30 single monochrome waveguide with a single microLED projector, a 38 g frame and up to 48 hours of battery life.[16] Neither the Z100 press releases nor the datasheet gives a brightness figure for the Z100 itself.[5][1][2]

Because there is no camera or depth sensor, the display does not register content to objects in the world. Vuzix's developer guidance treats the glasses as a secondary display that shows a streamlined view of the phone app's information "directly to the user's line of sight," with a more detailed view on the phone.[13][18]

Software and features

Vuzix Connect

Vuzix Connect is the companion app for iOS and Android. It manages pairing, notification settings and display settings, and it contains Vuzix's own experiences for the glasses: notification mirroring, a maps app with turn-by-turn directions, captioning, a teleprompter, a fitness mode and now-playing song information.[3][19] The App Store listing shows version 1.10.1, released on 29 September 2025, requiring iOS 15.6 or later, with a US$0.99 monthly in-app subscription for the maps feature.[19] The Google Play listing was last updated on 6 June 2025 and shows more than 1,000 downloads.[20]

Vuzix Connect version Date Changes listed by Vuzix
1.4.0 29 April 2024 Redesigned interface; captioning app added[19]
1.5.0 2 July 2024 Fitness experience; improved translation and captioning; teleprompter[19]
1.7 November 2024 Version paired with general availability; translation and transcription, Google Maps navigation on Android, fitness, teleprompter[1]
1.10.0 29 May 2025 Navigation by destination name or address with step-by-step directions[19]
1.10.1 29 September 2025 Minor interface bug fixes[19]

Developer SDK

Vuzix supplies the Ultralite SDK, sample code and documentation for Android and iOS so that developers can build dedicated apps or add glasses support to existing ones. The SDK can send text, images and animations to the glasses, monitor the connection, and report power-button presses, frame taps and battery and charger status.[13] Vuzix's technical guidance recommends integrating the glasses in an app's presentation layer and sending a reduced view of the interface whenever the glasses are connected.[18]

Third-party products

On 3 February 2025 Vuzix and Mentra announced AugmentOS 1.0, described as a universal operating system for smart glasses with real-time captions, translation, proactive AI assistance, notifications and language-learning tools, with the Z100 as a launch device. Travers called the Z100 "an ideal platform for AugmentOS."[7] Mentra had demonstrated two of its applications on the Z100 at CES 2025 a month earlier: Mentra Merge, a proactive AI agent, and Mentra Link, which overlays translations, captions and language-learning prompts during conversations.[21] Mentra's current iOS app, "Mentra - The Smart Glasses App" from Mentra Labs, lists the Vuzix Z100, Even Realities G1 and Mentra Live as supported glasses.[22]

On 27 February 2025 TranscribeGlass, a Connecticut company, launched a speech-to-text captioning service for deaf and hard-of-hearing users on the Z100. Vuzix's release described sub-300 millisecond latency, operation in quiet and noisy environments and speaker identification for group conversations, with the glasses connecting over Bluetooth to the user's phone or tablet.[8] Notebookcheck reported that the product uses customized Z100 hardware that pairs with an iPhone, supports ten languages natively, and was priced at US$377 for the glasses plus a US$20 monthly subscription, with prescription inserts at US$158 and clip-on sunglasses at US$20.[23] On 30 June 2025 Vuzix announced that TranscribeGlass had placed multiple follow-on orders for Z100 glasses; quantities were not disclosed.[24]

Ultralite platform and derivatives

The Z100 is the productized form of the Vuzix Ultralite OEM platform. Vuzix promoted the platform through 2023 as a 38 g, two-day-battery reference design with monocular waveguide optics that partners could rebrand, and in February 2023 it added ChatGPT and "Visual GPT" style features such as translation and visual search to the platform's demonstrations.[25] The Z100 user manual is titled "UltraliteUserManual--Z100," and Vuzix's annual report refers to the product as the "Vuzix Ultralite Z100."[3][6]

At CES 2025 Vuzix introduced two further reference designs developed with Quanta Computer. The Ultralite Audio OEM Platform "builds on the Ultralite Z100 model" by adding dual speakers and a noise-cancelling microphone for voice assistants and translation, while the Ultralite Pro pairs dual full-color projectors with binocular waveguides and a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 processor.[6][16] Vuzix's OEM page now lists three variants: Ultralite HUD (single monochrome MI-30 waveguide, no audio, no camera), Ultralite Audio (the same optics plus stereo audio) and Ultralite Pro (CI-30 dual full-color waveguides, LCoS projectors, camera and audio).[16]

Reception

Notebookcheck's January 2024 report characterized the developer's edition as an ultralight device for enterprises seeking better-optimized staff and noted its resemblance to ordinary eyewear, its 640 x 480 green display and its 48-hour battery.[10] The same site's November 2024 report placed the consumer price above Ray-Ban Meta glasses and noted the absence of a camera and of an integrated AI assistant.[4] In a January 2025 CES interview with Techstination, Vuzix marketing director Adam Gogolski described using the glasses for Slack and text notifications while walking his dog, and the report called the battery life "very impressive."[26]

Current status

Vuzix's Form 10-K for 2025, filed on 12 March 2026, still lists the Z100 among the company's smart glasses products and describes it as a scalable white-label platform for ODM and OEM partners. The same filing reports 2025 product revenue of US$4.7 million, up 4 percent, attributing the increase to Vuzix M400 unit sales, and says the company is shifting toward OEM smart glasses solutions, waveguides and display-system relationships, with branded products in a supporting role.[6][27] Vuzix's January 2026 CES announcement listed the Z100 with the Ultralite Pro platform and the LX1 among the products at its booth.[28] The company's second-quarter 2026 results, released on 13 August 2026, did not mention the Z100; they reported delivery of initial Ultralite Pro glasses to Amazon for commercial testing.[29]

As of 20 September 2026, the Z100 product page on vuzix.com redirects to the company's smart glasses overview, which presents the LX1 and M400, and the online store lists the Z100 prescription inserts and charging cable but not the glasses themselves.[30][12] Vuzix has not announced a discontinuation.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "Vuzix Announces General Availability of Z100 Smart Glasses". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2024-11-20. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2104/vuzix-announces-general-availability-of-z100-smart-glasses. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "VUZIX Z100 (product datasheet)". MedicalExpo. Vuzix Corporation. https://pdf.medicalexpo.com/pdf/vuzix/vuzix-z100/306008-272801.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 "Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses User Manual (515PB0004)". Vuzix Support. Vuzix Corporation. 2023. https://vuzix-website.s3.amazonaws.com/files/Content/developer-resources/User+Manuals/UltraliteUserManual--Z100.pdf. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Polly Allcock (2024-11-27). "Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses now available for consumers worldwide". Notebookcheck. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Vuzix-Z100-Smart-Glasses-now-available-for-consumers-worldwide.924328.0.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "Vuzix Introduces Z100 Smart Glasses to Seamlessly Connect Workers with AI Optimization Tools". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2024-01-09. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2060/vuzix-introduces-z100-smart-glasses-to-seamlessly-connect. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Vuzix Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2026-03-12. https://ir.vuzix.com/reports-filings/all-sec-filings/content/0001104659-26-027163/vuzi-20251231x10k.htm. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses and Mentra AugmentOS Usher in a New Era of AI-Powered Wearables". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2025-02-03. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2113/vuzix-z100-smart-glasses-and-mentra-augmentos-usher-in-a. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "AI-Powered TranscribeGlass Solution Selects Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses for Launch of Real-Time Speech-to-Text Transcription Service". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2025-02-27. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2115/ai-powered-transcribeglass-solution-selects-vuzix-z100. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sam Sprigg (2024-01-10). "Vuzix introduces new Z100 AR Smart Glasses at CES 2024". Auganix. https://www.auganix.org/ar-news-vuzix-introduces-new-z100-ar-smart-glasses-at-ces-2024/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 David Chien (2024-01-12). "Vuzix debuts ultralight Z100 smart glasses developer's edition to enterprise customers wanting better optimized staff". Notebookcheck. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Vuzix-debuts-ultralight-Z100-smart-glasses-developer-s-edition-to-enterprise-customers-wanting-better-optimized-staff.792371.0.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses Prescription Inserts". Vuzix Corporation. https://www.vuzix.com/products/z100-smart-glasses-prescription-inserts. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Products (all)". Vuzix Corporation. https://www.vuzix.com/collections/all. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Z100 Overview". Vuzix Support. Vuzix Corporation. 2024-01-09. https://support.vuzix.com/docs/overview-28. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "How to Connect to the Z100?". Vuzix Support. Vuzix Corporation. 2025-05-21. https://support.vuzix.com/docs/how-to-connect-to-the-z100. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  15. ↑ "How to Adjust Z100 Display?". Vuzix Support. Vuzix Corporation. 2024-01-09. https://support.vuzix.com/docs/how-to-adjust-z100-display. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 "Vuzix Ultralite OEM Platform". Vuzix Corporation. https://www.vuzix.com/pages/vuzix-ultralite-oem-platform. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  17. ↑ Karl Guttag (2023-03-12). "MicroLEDs with Waveguides (CES & AR/VR/MR 2023 Pt. 7)". KGOnTech. https://kguttag.com/2023/03/12/microleds-with-waveguides-ces-ar-vr-mr-2023-pt-7/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Z100 Technical Details". Vuzix Support. Vuzix Corporation. 2024-01-09. https://support.vuzix.com/docs/z100-technical-details. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 "Vuzix Connect". App Store. Apple. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vuzix-connect/id6467056741. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  20. ↑ "Vuzix Connect". Google Play. Google. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vuzix.connect. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  21. ↑ "Vuzix and Several Partners Demonstrate Growing Ecosystem of Advanced Applications Running on Vuzix Smart Glasses at CES 2025". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2025-01-08. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2110/vuzix-and-several-partners-demonstrate-growing-ecosystem-of. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  22. ↑ "Mentra - The Smart Glasses App". App Store. Apple. https://apps.apple.com/app/mentra-the-smart-glasses-app/id6747363193. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  23. ↑ David Chien (2025-02-27). "TranscribeGlass AI smart glasses generate live transcriptions of conversations for the hearing impaired". Notebookcheck. https://www.notebookcheck.net/TranscribeGlass-AI-smart-glasses-generate-live-transcriptions-of-conversations-for-the-hearing-impaired.969548.0.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  24. ↑ "TranscribeGlass Places Multiple Follow-on Orders for Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2025-06-30. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2139/transcribeglass-places-multiple-follow-on-orders-for-vuzix. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  25. ↑ "Vuzix Advances the Vuzix Ultralite OEM Platform to Better Facilitate Visual GPT and Other AI Functions". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2023-02-16. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2015/vuzix-advances-the-vuzix-ultralite-oem-platform-to. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  26. ↑ Fred Fishkin (2025-01-16). "Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses offer heads up display and more". Techstination. https://www.techstination.com/report.jsp?reportId=7069. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  27. ↑ "Vuzix Reports 2025 Financial Results and Positions Waveguide and OEM Businesses for Next Phase of Smart Glasses Growth". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2026-03-12. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2166/vuzix-reports-2025-financial-results-and-positions. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  28. ↑ "Vuzix Showcases AI-Powered Smart Glasses and Waveguide Solutions with its Global Ecosystem Partners at CES 2026". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2026-01-05. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2158/vuzix-showcases-ai-powered-smart-glasses-and-waveguide. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  29. ↑ "Vuzix Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results". Vuzix Investor Relations. Vuzix Corporation. 2026-08-13. https://ir.vuzix.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2180/vuzix-reports-second-quarter-2026-results. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  30. ↑ "Smart Glasses". Vuzix Corporation. https://www.vuzix.com/pages/smart-glasses. Retrieved 2026-09-20.


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