Future Before Your Eyes: Xiaomi Unveils Smart Glasses

Chinese technology company Xiaomi has unveiled the Xiaomi Smart Glasses, a new smart wearable device. Xiaomi smart glasses combine a display system and sensors in a slim, familiar eyeglass design using MicroLED optical waveguide technology. 

The glasses, weighing 51 g, can display messages and notifications, make calls, show navigation, take photos and translate text right before your eyes. To fit the form of regular glasses, the company had to overcome challenges in displaying and arranging internal components. The MicroLED display technology was used in the device to reduce the space needed for the design, as well as the overall weight of the device. 

MicroLED is an optimal choice for easily fitting a display system into a limited frame. As with OLED, the pixels are lit individually, which allows for brighter displays and deeper blacks. However, MicroLED has a higher pixel density and a longer lifespan with a simple structure. This makes it possible to create a compact display and simplify integration with the screen. 

Xiaomi Smart Glasses feature a display chip measuring 2.4 mm x 2.02 mm. The display, "as thick as a grain of rice," fits perfectly into the glasses frame. To let enough light pass through the complex optical structures without reaching the eye even in harsh direct sunlight, the company chose an efficient solution in the form of a monochrome display reaching a maximum brightness of 2 million nits. 

Thanks to the optical waveguide technology, which refracts light at an angle of 180 degrees, the MicroLED display accurately transmits light rays into the human eye through the microscopic grating structure of the optical waveguide lens. 

The grating structure engraved on the inner surface of the lens uniquely refracts light and safely directs it into the human eye. The refraction process involves reflecting light rays countless times, allowing the eye to see the complete image and significantly increasing comfort during wear. 

All of this is done within a single lens instead of using complex systems with multiple lenses, mirrors or half-mirrors, as in some other products. Optical waveguide technology significantly reduces the size and weight of the device, so it allows smart glasses to approach the form factor of traditional glasses. 

Xiaomi Smart Glasses integrate a total of 497 components, including miniature sensors and communication modules, so the glasses are not just a "second screen" for a smartphone but function as a smart device with independent capabilities. In addition to basic notifications, call display and other functions, they can handle navigation, photography, serve as a teleprompter and translate text in real time. 

The creators implemented key interaction logic to minimize interruptions at inconvenient times and to display important information in a timely manner when it is critical. They needed to build interaction logic that does not interfere with normal use but shows key information when needed. After lengthy discussions, several scenarios were confirmed, including "key notification," "phone call," "navigation" and "photo translation," with XiaoAi AI Assistant as the main interaction method. 

Taking notifications as an example: it is obviously inappropriate to display all push notifications from a smartphone right in front of your eyes, so the smart glasses select and send only the most important notifications, such as smart home signals, urgent information from office apps and messages from important contacts, so as not to disturb the user. 

A "phone call" is the most natural use case for smart glasses, since you can see the caller's number when they call you. Thanks to the built-in microphone and speaker, both sides can hear each other clearly. "Navigation" is useful when cycling. The glasses can display roads and maps in real time so that the wearer can move safely through traffic.

The 5-megapixel camera on the front of the glasses allows users to take photos and translate text in pictures, which is convenient when traveling. In a video, the company showed an example of the feature: the glasses' owner used them to translate a restaurant menu into their native language. 

Thanks to the built-in microphone and a patented translation algorithm, the glasses can convert audio into text with real-time translation. An indicator light next to the camera turns on when it is used to take photos. 

Xiaomi smart glasses are equipped with a 4-core ARM processor, a battery, a touch panel, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, the Android operating system and other components for a high level of functionality. Despite all these components, the device weighs 51 g. 

"They say: 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Xiaomi smart glasses use engineering thinking to create a view of the future," the company said. The price and release date of the smart glasses are not yet known.