Traditionally, it's not unusual to see people wear goggles and other types of safety glasses in factories. But, a new class of wearable devices is becoming increasingly popular on assembly lines.

VALENCIA, Spain—Ford Motor Co. has developed a wearable device that, when connected to a smartphone app, enables assembly line workers to make faster and more accurate quality checks on new vehicles.

ANDERSON, SC—Workers at an automotive sensor factory here are wearing smart watches to alert them to production faults on the assembly line.

WOLFSBURG, Germany—Volkswagen has started rolling out 3D smart glasses as standard equipment at its assembly plant here. Logistics personnel will use the glasses on a voluntary basis for order picking.

PARIS—Airbus has developed “connected glasses” for technicians to wear on the A330 final assembly line. The glasses enable precise positioning—down to the millimeter—during the cabin installation marking process, when operators designate the exact location where seats and cabin furnishings should be affixed inside the aircraft.

SANTA CLARA, CA—Google plans to assemble its wearable computer, Google Glass, here with the help of Taiwan’s Foxconn.