In Chengdu, a major tech hub in southwest China, patrol officer Wu Han used a pair of smart glasses to help a confused foreign tourist find his way within just 30 seconds.
Wu explained that his smart glasses, which tether to a mobile phone, can help with real-time translation. “If both users wear a pair, we can speak in our own languages and still understand each other. It breaks the language barrier completely,” said Wu.
These smart glasses, developed by Sichuan INMO Technology Co., Ltd. (INMO), use diffraction waveguide imaging technology and are equipped with Chinese AI models such as DeepSeek and ByteDance’s Doubao. Currently, the glasses support 40 languages and 90 accents.
Smart glasses from INMO are continuously upgrading, and now feature functions like photography, gaming and virtual meetings. They have already been exported to 19 countries and regions, including Japan and Russia.
“This year, we plan to accelerate our international expansion,” said Liu Yu, INMO’s offline market brand manager.
The company also plans to explore applications for its smart glasses in cultural and tourism scenarios during the upcoming 2025 Chengdu World Games, according to Yang Longsheng, CEO of INMO.
The development of smart glasses in China is gaining significant momentum thanks to the continuous advancement of AI technology.
According to global market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart glasses will reach 12.8 million units by 2025, a 26 per cent year-on-year growth. Shipments in China alone are expected to hit 2.75 million units, marking a remarkable 107 per cent rise.
On Tuesday (June 17), Hangzhou-based technology company Rokid announced the integration of in-store payment functionality into its smart glasses, thanks to a collaboration with Alipay, enabling users to make purchases using voice and gesture commands without needing to handle a phone.
Currently, the global orders for Rokid Glasses have surpassed 250,000 units, and deliveries will begin at the end of June.
A report from China Galaxy Securities suggested that smart glasses are expected to become the next mainstream computing terminal after smartphones. This will lead to a period of rapid growth for the entire industry chain, including chips, optics, sensors, and related manufacturing.
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