Imagine a pair of lightweight glasses that blend seamlessly with your daily outfits, while projecting digital information directly into your line of sight to enrich your experience of the real world. This is not a distant science - fiction concept but a future blueprint that AR technology is bringing to life. Ever since the debut of Google Glass in 2012, this futuristic device has opened an entirely new chapter in tech, capturing the attention of technology giants and startups worldwide.

Over the following decade, we witnessed AR evolve from the confines of laboratories into industrial applications. Headsets like HoloLens and Magic Leap showcased formidable potential in enterprise settings and spurred enthusiasm about possibilities in the consumer market. Despite this progress, these devices have yet to become an integral part of everyday life for most users, and widespread adoption of consumer-grade AR still faces substantial hurdles.

Current AR devices tend to be too bulky to meet the demands of comfortable wear, or else they appear conspicuously futuristic and clash with conventional, everyday attire. These challenges have slowed the progression of consumer AR. However, as technology continues to advance—and as lightweight design emerges as a consensus across the industry—AR headsets are gradually morphing from helmet-like apparatuses into everyday eyeglasses. This shift heralds a new era of more intuitive and convenient AR experiences.

1. The Lightweight Challenge in Consumer AR
From a human-centric design perspective, consumer-grade AR must inherently be “light”. As a wearable device, AR glasses confront a more demanding set of requirements than smartphones:

1. Aesthetic Design: They must look natural and appealing, easily integrating into everyday wear.
2. Lightweight Structure: Their weight should be comparable to that of standard eyeglasses.
3. Comfort: They must be comfortable enough to wear over extended periods.
4. Display Capability: They should deliver outstanding visual performance and intuitive interaction.
    

Google Glass

While these specifications may appear straightforward, they represent a formidable technical chasm that has long stymied consumer AR. The key to bridging this gap lies in lightweight design.

When Google Glass first emerged, it utilized a monocular prism architecture that brought the total weight down to a remarkable 36 grams—an impressive standard for consumer AR. However, many subsequent AR devices have incorporated greater computing power and functionality at the expense of added bulk, ballooning in both size and weight and drifting away from everyday usability.

Regardless of how innovative their features are, consumers are reluctant to embrace helmet-like devices for daily use. This sentiment vividly underscores a persistent truth: no level of functionality can compensate for an unwieldy form factor in the consumer market.

(Photo credit: Google)

2. The Evolution of AR: From “Helmet” to “Eyeglasses”
In recent years, the AR industry’s pursuit of lightweight design has produced notable results, with device form factors edging ever closer to those of conventional eyeglasses. Among the most decisive factors shaping AR’s appearance are the display and optical solutions deployed.

Early-generation AR headsets such as HoloLens consolidated computing units, power supplies, and sensors into a single device—essentially a head-mounted “helmet”. But thanks to off-axis optics, freeform prisms, and Birdbath optical technologies, AR glasses are steadily marching toward smaller sizes and lighter weight.

Rokid Glasses

Until recent years, more companies focusing on consumer scenarios have started to launch increasingly lightweight AR glasses, such as Rokid Glasses, DreamSmart StarV Air2, Vuzix Z100, etc. These products make full use of the thin and light characteristics of waveguides, initiating a new wave of AR lightweight design.

(Photo credit: Rokid)

3. MicroLED: The Optimal Choice for All-Weather AR
The optical engine is typically situated near the glasses’ hinges; in simple terms, the size of this module directly dictates how sleek AR eyewear can look. Smaller engines allow for more minimal hinges and thus a more elegant, natural appearance.

Waveguide-based designs have become “front-runners” not just because they are slim and highly transparent, but also due to their synergy with next-generation optical engine technologies. Historically, waveguides were often paired with LCoS or DLP projectors—both of which typically exceed 1cc in volume and can be relatively power-hungry, inhibiting efforts to reduce weight and bulk.

MicroLED microdisplays excel in brightness, compactness, and low power consumption. Not only are they significantly smaller than LCoS or DLP engines—allowing for more fashionable AR glasses—they also meet the demands of lightweight designs suitable for any environment.

JBD Hummingbird MicroLED Projector Series

Notably, nearly all mass-produced AR glasses featuring MicroLED technology on today’s market utilize JBD’s solutions. Having already released over 30 models, JBD offers two main series of MicroLED engines: Hummingbird (full-color) and Hummingbird Mini (monochrome). The latest Hummingbird Mini II measures just 0.15cc, the smallest AR projector in the industry. It is already integrated into devices such as the DreamSmart StarV Air2 and the INMO GO2.

4. The Strongest Vessel for AI: The Limitless Potential of AI+AR
As large-scale AI models become increasingly pervasive in daily life, AR glasses fused with AI promise to unlock the technology’s full potential by leveraging a combination of speech recognition and visual inputs. Unlike other AI hardware that requires manual operation, AI-enabled AR eyewear can offer real-time assistance and decision support, hands-free, making it a compelling avenue for future AI hardware innovation.

Lightweight AR eyewear not only improves the wearing experience—making it as natural as putting on a regular pair of glasses—but also delivers more seamless AI interactions. Whether for taking notes in a meeting, managing tasks, or serving as a personal assistant, the convergence of AI and AR stands poised to provide unprecedented convenience and efficiency.

DreamSmart StarV AR Smart Glasses

From Google Glass’s trailblazing beginnings to the breakthrough of MicroLED microdisplays, consumer-grade AR eyewear has been on a steady trajectory toward lightweight designs suitable for all-day use. The infusion of AI technologies is infusing fresh momentum into this trend, transforming AR glasses into a bridge that seamlessly connects the physical and digital realms.

In the years ahead, as these technologies continue to mature, lightweight AR glasses will likely become a mainstay of everyday life, revolutionizing work, entertainment, and personal pursuits. Ultimately, they will guide us into a new era of intelligent interaction—an era that takes us one step closer to a world where the boundaries between the real and the virtual are ever more indistinguishable.

(Photo credit: JBD)

TrendForce 2024 Near-Eye Display Market Trend and Technology Analysis
Release Date:2024 / 07 / 31
Languages:Traditional Chinese / English
Format:PDF
Page:164