Chinese tech firm Xiaomi revealed on Monday it had launched a powerful pair of lightweight, standalone augmented reality (AR) smart glasses.
Xiaomi’s ground-breaking smart glasses use highly compact MicroLED optical waveguides that provide a higher pixel density and longer lifespan along with a bright display and deep blacks.
The compact display—roughly the size of a grain of rice—safely refracts optical waveguided images directly to the wearer’s retina, providing a 180° field of view.
The waveguides also send AR visuals to the heads up display (HUD) to display call and text notifications, navigation information, and real-time text translations.
Similarly to Google and Apple’s AR map applications, Xiaomi’s new wearables boast navigation features which display directions and other useful information into the HUD.
The Beijing-based firm claims customers can use the smartglasses while cycling or driving, rivalling solutions from AR hardware firms WayRay and CrossHelmet, who are developing smart window and helmet technologies.
A Standalone Future
Xiaomi’s solution stands out from current consumer-grade AR wearables as the smartglasses do not need to be connected to a smartphone.
Many AR smartglasses require a wired connection to a smartphone or laptop to offload processing power to a more powerful computing device.
But Xiaomi’s solution is powerful enough to run as a standalone device, boosting the number of smart glasses solutions in the market similarly to China’s Nreal or 3D lens manufacturers Luxexcel.
