Baidu Unveils AI Smart Glasses to Challenge Meta’s Ray-Ban

Chinese tech giant Baidu is entering the smart eyewear market with new AI-powered glasses, positioning itself as a direct competitor to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Xiaodu hardware chief Li Ying also presented a slew of new applications including a text-to-image generator and a tool that enables users to develop software applications without coding expertise.

Key Points

• Powered by Baidu’s large language model Ernie, the smart glasses offer features including calorie tracking, environmental queries, music playback, and video recording capabilities.
• The device will integrate with Baidu’s existing ecosystem, including Baidu Maps and the company’s online encyclopedia.
• Developed by Baidu’s hardware division Xiaodu, the glasses are expected to be priced more competitively than Meta’s $299 offering.
• The company plans to launch the product exclusively in the Chinese market in early 2025.

Background

Baidu’s entry into the smart glasses market marks the beginning of an intense competition among major tech companies to lead the AI-integrated wearable sector.

This move follows Meta’s recent launch of its second-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses, which feature a 12MP ultra-wide camera, sophisticated five-microphone system, and open-ear speakers.

The competitive landscape is set to intensify further with Apple reportedly planning to join the fray.

According to industry reports, the Cupertino-based tech giant is developing its own smart glasses, with an anticipated launch in 2027.

The Future of Augmented Reality

Smart glasses are emerging as a transformative platform where artificial intelligence meets everyday vision, marking a significant leap in wearable technology.

These devices leverage AI to deliver real-time translations, object recognition, and contextual information directly in the user’s field of view.

Companies like Meta and Ray-Ban are integrating advanced AI models to enable natural language processing for hands-free commands, while firms like Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens use AI for precise spatial mapping and gesture recognition.

AI algorithms in smart glasses can analyze surroundings to assist visually impaired users, provide instant language translation of text in view, and offer real-time navigation overlays.

The technology also enables sophisticated features like facial recognition for security applications and augmented reality experiences for industrial training.

As AI capabilities advance, smart glasses are poised to become more intuitive and powerful, potentially replacing smartphones by offering a more natural and immersive way to interact with digital information while maintaining eye contact with the world around us.

News Gist

Chinese tech giant Baidu has unveiled its new AI-powered smart glasses, directly competing with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Powered by Baidu’s large language model Ernie, the glasses offer features like calorie tracking, environmental queries, and music playback.

The device is set to launch in China in early 2025.