Google Unveils AI Smart Glasses in Partnership with Samsung

Google has finally revealed its next step into the smart eyewear arena, a decade after the initial Google Glass project was discontinued. In collaboration with South Korean tech giant Samsung for hardware and fashion brand Gentle Monster for design, Google showcased two new Android-based extended reality smart glasses at its annual developer conference. This unveiling marks the first public look at the actual designs since Google announced its renewed ambitions in the smart glasses market last December.

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Google unveiled two types of Android extended reality smart glasses in collaboration with Samsung Electronics and Gentle Monster at Google's headquarters in California on the 19th (local time).

The new AI glasses boast impressive features, including real-time navigation and translation powered by Google's AI chatbot, Gemini, all accessible through voice commands without needing to look at a smartphone. The integrated camera allows users to capture moments instantly. This strategic partnership with Samsung, a leader in hardware manufacturing, and Gentle Monster, known for its distinctive eyewear designs, suggests a more refined and market-ready product compared to its predecessor.

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Google Glass does not have a display, but it is equipped with a speaker, camera, and microphone, allowing it to understand the user's situation in real-time and execute convenience functions with voice commands without cumbersome operations.

However, the shadow of the original Google Glass, which was pulled from the market in 2015 due to privacy concerns, looms large. While Google has attempted industrial smart glasses since then, they too were discontinued. The current push into AI hardware, with competitors like Meta also launching their own AI smart glasses, indicates that the race for the next generation of AI devices is heating up. Google's reentry, backed by Samsung's manufacturing prowess, aims to overcome past challenges and capture a significant share of this emerging market.

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Users can receive real-time voice translation reflecting the tone of the conversation partner or have text such as menus and signs translated and read aloud by calling up Google's AI chatbot 'Gemini' linked to the smartphone without looking at the smartphone.