For ordinary people, brain-computer interfaces and AI glasses seem to have nothing to do with each other, but the magical world tells you that reality is just so interesting, because there is already a brain-computer interface company making AI glasses. In this issue of Sharp Review, we will discuss this.

The cheapest AI glasses?

On November 16, Looktech held a new product launch event and officially released an intelligent glasses product that integrates glasses, headphones, cameras, and AI functions - Looktech AI Smart Glasses. The product will be launched on Kickstarter for crowdfunding in early December, with a starting price of $199, and is expected to begin shipping by the end of January next year.

In terms of appearance, Looktech AI Smart Glasses use TR90 frames and titanium alloy temples, with an overall weight of only 37 grams, similar to ordinary wide-framed glasses. The official provides pink-white, deep transparent, and black frame options for users to choose from, and supports custom prescription lenses and frames.

In terms of configuration, Looktech AI Smart Glasses are equipped with a 13-megapixel camera that can be used to shoot 30fps 1080P video and 4K photos, supports 2K video recording and 4K photo shooting, and has anti-shake and level correction functions. Speakers and microphones are also included, supporting WiFi and Bluetooth connections. The glasses support magnetic charging with a battery life of 14 hours.

In terms of functionality, Looktech AI Smart Glasses are equipped with large models like ChatGPT 4o, Claude, and Gemini. The built-in AI assistant Memo has natural dialogue and memory functions, providing users with services around the clock, supporting various types of information inquiries such as news, weather, movies, object recognition, real-time multi-language translation, meeting records and summary generation, dietary health management, and more. Memo can also adjust the voice tone based on user needs. Memo can also meet users' needs in different scenarios through a wealth of smart agent mini-programs.

The built-in AI video editing tool can easily add music and subtitles by recognizing the image, transforming it into exciting social content. The official stated that more AI services and applications will be introduced in the future.

In terms of interaction, Looktech AI Smart Glasses can interact via voice or wristwatch knob. Compared to the touch operations relied on by many smart glasses, knob operation is more precise and reliable. Users can answer calls and control music by rotating and pressing the knob, providing a more intuitive and smooth operation experience similar to operating a wristwatch.

In terms of privacy, Looktech AI Smart Glasses use voiceprint recognition technology to ensure that only the owner's voice can activate the AI assistant, thereby preventing unauthorized use. In addition, the system is equipped with financial-grade information storage and transmission encryption to ensure the security of user data, allowing users to use the AI assistant without worrying about privacy leakage.

Some people may worry about the issue of secret filming with Looktech AI Smart Glasses. The official has also considered this. When using the camera, there is an indicator light in the top left corner of the lens of Looktech AI Smart Glasses to show the recording status.

In terms of ecosystem, Looktech AI Smart Glasses have introduced a smart agent mini-program platform. The official plans to gradually introduce more mini-programs for specific scenarios through the open platform, such as sports coaches, smart guides, and clothing matching suggestions.

In terms of price, the crowdfunding starting price for Looktech AI Smart Glasses is $199, equivalent to approximately 1441 yuan.

Judging from the overall situation of Looktech AI Smart Glasses, it can be described as a lightweight AI glasses product. Due to the lack of an SOC chip, it requires connection to a smartphone to use AI-related functions. Therefore, if this AI glasses product is sold domestically, its reasonable price may range from 500 to 1000 yuan, with competitors such as Li Weike's Meta Lens Chat AI.

Therefore, Looktech AI Smart Glasses is expected to become the cheapest AI glasses on the market. So, what kind of company created it?

Cross-border behavior of brain-computer interface company?

According to Tianyancha, the producer of Looktech AI Smart Glasses is Hangzhou Huiche Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Huiche Technology). Its core members come from universities such as Zhejiang University and Tsinghua University and related laboratories. Established in 2014 with a registered capital of 540,844 yuan, it has completed a total of five rounds of financing, with the most recent round being Series A financing in June this year, invested by Buffett Investment.

According to the official information, Huiche Technology is a top-tier hybrid brain-computer interface company that integrates multi-dimensional physiological signals such as EEG and heart rate with new forms of products like metaverse VR and AR to create a series of products applied in the fields of mental health and education, covering areas such as insomnia intervention, cognitive impairment rehabilitation, depression intervention, and efficient teaching.

As the only domestic brain-computer interface company with full localization capabilities in hardware, software, and algorithms, it holds more than 70 core intellectual property rights, including over 30 invention patents.

Most of Huiche Technology's products are related to EEG, including Huiche Cloud, Xiaozhuangyuan Memory Headset, FLOWTIME Smart Meditation Headband, Yixiu, etc. It has collaborated with universities such as Tsinghua University and Beijing Normal University and has received honors such as National High-tech Enterprise and Hangzhou "Eaglet Plan" Enterprise.

Overall, most of Huiche Technology's main business is related to brain-computer interfaces and has nothing to do with AI glasses. So why is Huiche Electronics making AI glasses?

Regarding this, Yi Haoxiang, CEO of Huiche Technology, stated that it is not because the company wants to ride the trend of AI glasses, but rather because the company developed the Kether EEG Glasses equipped with an EEG sensor in 2021, which can be considered one of the earliest domestic enterprises to make smart glasses, albeit for somewhat unique purposes.

Yi Haoxiang pointed out that the development work of Kether EEG Glasses laid the foundation for the launch of Looktech AI Smart Glasses. With the popularity of generative large models represented by ChatGPT, Yi Haoxiang and his team believed they should seize the opportunity. The realization of brain-computer interface + glasses is similar to that of AI + glasses, both using glasses as the carrier and both related to the human brain. Therefore, the AI glasses project was initiated last year, resulting in the current Looktech AI Smart Glasses.

Interestingly, to design the appearance of Looktech AI Smart Glasses well, Huiche Technology chose to collaborate with a company that designs over 500 glasses per month, produces over 24.7 million pairs of glasses annually, and provides design and manufacturing services for over 100 well-known global brands to jointly refine the product.

It is worth mentioning that Huiche Technology has not yet obtained the Looktech trademark. The company only began submitting trademark applications for Looktech in May this year, with an international classification of 09-Scientific Instruments, while a similar trademark has already been obtained by a company in Guangdong.

This may be one of the reasons why Looktech AI Smart Glasses have not been launched domestically.

Postscript

According to a research report by the China Research and Intelligence Institute, the global smart glasses market reached 39.473 billion yuan in 2023, while the Chinese market size grew from 2.2 billion yuan in 2019 to 8.3 billion yuan in 2023, demonstrating strong growth momentum.

It is expected that in the coming years, the global market size will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18.56%, reaching 106.778 billion yuan by 2029. The Chinese market will also continue to expand, becoming an important growth point in the smart glasses industry.

With such a huge market size and promising prospects for smart glasses, it is not surprising that Huiche Technology, which has been working on brain-computer interfaces for nearly a decade, would venture into AI smart glasses.

Text/Doflamingo

(All images in this article are sourced from the internet)