IFA: Glasses instead of smartphones, with AI even in the toothbrush

At Berlin’s IFA trade show, artificial intelligence is no longer confined to smartphone software. It is moving into glasses, toothbrushes, household robots and even refrigerators, offering a glimpse of how consumer electronics may change daily life.

The clearest symbol of that shift is the dominance of smart glasses. Models equipped with virtual assistants, microphones and microdisplays are seeking a place in the mainstream. Devices weighing between 33 and just under 60 grams can translate speech in real time, with some integrating platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini.

The glasses are designed to replace some of the tasks now handled through a phone. Users can ask questions, take pictures or check a route by speaking to the glasses or looking through their lenses. A joint Meta and Cupra project shows a vehicle’s digital manual when the wearer looks at it, presenting the glasses as a personal interface for the world around the user.

INMO’s GO3, which won an IFA Innovation Award in the Best in IFA Next & Emerging Technologies category, combines binocular Micro-LED displays with real-time translation. It supports 77 source languages and 98 target languages, as well as HERE Maps navigation. Maps and GPS are emerging as major features in this product category. Chinese company Lokid, for example, overlays navigation and translated subtitles directly onto the user’s field of view.

RayNeo’s GT Max takes a more entertainment-focused approach. It projects a virtual screen equivalent to a 267-inch image, supports Dolby Vision and uses sound tuned in cooperation with Bang & Olufsen. Around these wearable devices, AI acts as the central technology, while other IFA launches show the same idea spreading across the home.