Forbes, a Leading US Economic Magazine, Highlights AI Smart Glasses as Key Technology at
CES 2025: "Various Products Emerging"
Market Heats Up After Meta Launches 'Ray-Ban'
Many Lens and Optical Companies Participate
Korean Company Vernect, Winner of Innovation Award, Showcases Technology
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing the AI smart glasses 'Ray-Ban Meta' developed by the company. Photo by Bloomberg
Artificial intelligence (AI) smart glasses are emerging as a new focal point at CES 2025, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, which opens on the 7th (local time). Local foreign media and industry insiders predict that the market competition will heat up further as a wider variety of AI smart glasses make their debut at this exhibition.
According to foreign media on the 6th, the prominent U.S. economic magazine Forbes recently named smart glasses as the most anticipated product at CES 2025. Forbes forecasted that "the types of smart glasses will increase significantly starting from CES 2025." They also added specific expectations that products accompanied by AI robots and communication/translation devices will appear.
Smart Glasses Enter a New Phase at CES 2025
At CES 2025, 'VOY Glasses' and 'Mustard Glasses' will throw down the gauntlet. VOY Glasses is an optical manufacturing company based in San Jose, USA, specializing in various lenses used for extended reality (XR) devices or glasses. The company gained attention as the world's first to equip adjustable lenses in headsets with virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) functions. Mustard Glasses is an Indian AI glasses development company working on AI glasses that allow users to acquire information hands-free by utilizing programmed AI and robotic systems.
From South Korea, Vernect, a startup founded by KAIST, is participating. Vernect received a CES Innovation Award in the 'Industrial Equipment and Machinery' category for its AI-based smart glasses (VisionX) designed for industrial sites.
AI smart glasses were triggered by Meta Platforms (Meta), Facebook's parent company, releasing the second generation of 'Ray-Ban Stories' in 2023. The renewed Ray-Ban can recognize the environment and interact with users through built-in microphones and cameras. It can translate foreign languages seen through the glasses and provide information about objects. Users can also take photos of items they need to purchase and set reminders and alarms. At the end of last year, Meta enhanced the AI functions of the product for users participating in the early access program for Ray-Ban.
Although Meta will not exhibit related products this time, internally it is preparing to launch Ray-Ban smart glasses equipped with a display for the first time in the second quarter of this year. In the AI market, the need to develop 'AI agents' that solve problems autonomously without human intervention is emerging. More companies are seeking answers to this through AI smart glasses.
Samsung Unveils Prototype; Semiconductor Industry Also Benefits
Market research firm MarketandMarkets forecasts that the global extended reality (XR) market, including AI smart glasses, will reach $111.5 billion (approximately 160 trillion KRW) by 2028. If the AI smart glasses market activates in the future, it is expected to present significant opportunities for Korean companies as well.
Samsung Electronics is expected to be the first among Korean companies to seize the market. According to industry sources, Samsung is considering whether to reveal video or images of its currently developing AR glasses prototype at the 'Galaxy S25 Ultra' launch event scheduled for the 22nd in San Jose, USA. After successfully developing AR glasses, the door will open to expand development by incorporating AI to create smart glasses. Sapien Semiconductor is participating in the development of displays for AI smart glasses. Between June and August last year, it signed contracts to jointly develop and supply display driver chips (DDI) for AI smart glasses with big tech companies and display manufacturers, demonstrating its high technological capability. Sapien Semiconductor is recognized for its expertise in LEDoS (LED on Silicon) technology, which is essential for manufacturing micro LED displays for AI smart glasses.
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