Chinese startup brings cutting-edge AI glasses to the masses

by Xinhua writers Yang Qi and Fan Fan

NANCHANG, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A decade after founding Rokid, entrepreneur Zhu Mingming turned heads at an economic forum in February with a simple remark: "My speech is in my glasses, so I don't need a transcript."

Standing casually behind the podium in a hooded sweatshirt, Zhu confidently told the audience he was using a smart ring to flip through virtual slides on his AI glasses. Within hours, the clip went viral on Chinese social media, sparking a wave of inquiries from viewers eager to know where they could buy the product.

Zhu, known as "Misa" in tech circles, recently showcased the same model, Rokid Glasses, at an experience store in his hometown, Yujiang District of Yingtan City, in east China's Jiangxi Province, a region long regarded as a trade and production hub for eyewear.

What made that February moment stand out wasn't just the technology; it was how seamlessly the glasses blended into everyday life.

"While I'm speaking here, I'm also checking my WeChat messages on a virtual screen right in front of my eyes, and you probably didn't even notice," he said at the store.

"In the past, many people wanted smart glasses, but they were either too bulky, too clunky, or their AI capabilities were not strong enough, so in the end, they were little more than a Bluetooth headset," Zhu said.

Unlike those early models, the new-generation Rokid Glasses weigh just 49 grams, resemble regular eyewear, and offer robust battery life. Zhu credits much of this progress to rapid AI advancements in recent years.

Zhu encouraged visitors at the store to try on the smart glasses. "Give them a try, and you'll decide for yourself whether they could become an everyday device like smartphones in the future," he said.

"A good product should first be a good pair of glasses," Zhu added. "Then a good headset, a good camera, and ultimately, a great AI device."

In addition to browsing social media and watching videos, the device can project real-time captions, translations, navigation prompts, and AI-generated answers directly onto the lens, powered by leading Chinese AI models such as DeepSeek and Doubao.

With simple voice commands, users can ask for directions, identify objects, receive call notifications, or even solve math problems, without ever reaching for their phone.

"It's rare, even globally, for a company to develop such a highly integrated and fully functional product in such a lightweight form," Zhu said. "That's only possible because we've stayed committed to this path for the past 10 years."

Around 90 percent of Rokid's funding goes into research and development (R&D), which makes it a highly R&D-driven company even by global standards. "Our booth is very popular in the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas," Zhu said.

He noted that Rokid aims to make smart glasses an affordable everyday tech product. Priced at around 3,000 yuan, they are far more accessible than many international models that cost over 10,000 yuan.

While similar products from other companies failed to win over consumers, Rokid is now facing the challenge of fulfilling orders on time, with over 300,000 units already sold. "We didn't expect to be overwhelmed this quickly," Zhu admitted.

He is convinced that smart glasses are set to become the next transformative platform after smartphones. However, he acknowledges the industry is still in its early stages, with the main challenge being educating the market to attract more users.

With a series of Rokid's innovative products in tow, Zhu is taking his next big step in his hometown.

Yujiang is home to over 260 eyewear companies and ranks among China's top five optical manufacturing bases. But most of its industry remains focused on trade and conventional manufacturing.

Rokid has signed a strategic agreement with the local government and plans to establish a production base, integrate the local supply chain, and forge cooperation with local colleges to train a new generation of technicians.

"The talent is already here," Zhu said. "People in Yujiang understand eyewear. Now we just need to help them understand smart glasses."

Zhu acknowledged the journey won't be quick, but he remains optimistic. "If we can help transform the local traditional eyewear industry into a more innovative one, that would be the most rewarding outcome of all." ■