Media: 联合早报 聯合早報 Lianhe Zaobao
If we were to say, the 1990s were the era of desktop computer explosion, the 2000s were dominated by laptops, and the 2010s were ruled by smartphones, perhaps nowadays, artificial intelligence is pervasive. So, what kind of hardware will become the next trend?
Tech companies are now shifting towards physical hardware, exploring the impact of dedicated sensors on emerging AI models. While artificial intelligence is far from perfect, it feels like a path through which consumer technology is becoming interesting again. The first wave of AI hardware became a hot topic in 2024, and some trends about how these devices will operate have already begun to emerge. Here are five new types of wearable AI devices that everyone should pay attention to:
1) AI Pin
Giving a familiar feeling, the manufacturer Humane is filled with former Apple talents, and AI Pin is expected to adopt the style of Apple products in its design. Unveiled in November 2023, it is set to be officially released in March of this year. It is a new type of AI wearable device based on clothing. This pin-like device is not entirely a smart watch or machine, but it aims to accomplish many of the tasks we perform with watches or phones, such as browsing the web, taking photos, and general communication. However, AI Pin differs from current smartphones, laptops, and tablets in its logic: instead of staring at pixel screens, AI Pin prioritizes voice, only resorting to a laser projector when needed. In terms of software operation, there are no apps—at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, it offers an AI "experience" that provides information and content only when you need it. My feeling is that it's like wearing a Google Home/Siri-like assistant on your clothing.
2) Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, technically similar to the original Ray-Ban Stories, serve as an accessory to smartphones, but they obviously have bigger ambitions: Firstly, the new glasses are closer in size and shape to real sunglasses, in line with the brand's fashion sense, and offer multiple frame shapes and colors, with added open-ear headphones and a main-angle camera. In terms of integration, the new Meta AI is launched alongside the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Although not as feature-rich as chatting with ChatGPT, when they are connected to your phone, they can answer basic weather questions and control the glasses' calling, music, and messaging functions. It will also introduce built-in camera recognition to answer questions about them and even translate text. Meta is reportedly working on launching more advanced augmented reality glasses, and it seems that the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses will receive software updates consistent with Quest VR headsets. From appearance to usage, it has a strong resemblance to SciFi movies and novels. Is it due to the astonishing foresight of the creators back then, or is the product design referencing old works?
3) Rabbit's R1
Similar to the independence of AI Pin and Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, it aims to be with you anytime, anywhere, and has a screen similar to a phone, but offers a completely different user experience: Like AI Pin, R1 does not use apps, but its "large-scale action model" aims to control existing computers and service interfaces. Through settings, it can call a car for you, play music playlists, or book tickets without having to look at web pages or application screens. Rabbit's goal is to apply the wisdom of existing AI chatbots to truly serve users and perform tasks on their behalf. The device itself has a 4G LTE SIM card slot, camera, and roller, leaving room for future flexibility.
4) Rewind Pendant
In the application, it records all voice operations you perform on your computer or smartphone, allowing you to freely view, search, or query information from an assistant in your spare time. The principle is that Rewind stores important things for you, such as credit card numbers, and with the appearance of the Rewind Pendant, these reminders will only become more powerful. It is a cylindrical shape that hangs on a necklace and can record everything you say or hear.
It is believed that people will immediately think of privacy and information security issues. Rewind's solution is to require verbal consent from anyone you talk to before the service actually records what is heard. I believe it may be difficult for society to accept at first. At least, it took quite a long time for society to accept carrying cameras into different places. While a necklace that records audio is not a new concept, such covert smart devices may still need some time to be widely accepted.
5) Tab
A startup is building what looks like a hockey puck-shaped microphone with a cord, paired with suitable software on a phone, which is said to serve as a life coach, companion, and personal memory. For example, users can ask Tab for the name of a restaurant mentioned by a friend a few days ago, even if they have forgotten it, Tab will remember. It can also be asked to evaluate the user's speech, provide improvement suggestions, and record anything the user hears anytime, anywhere. Unlike Rewind Pendant, Tab (claims to) only record the user's (rather than the surrounding environment's) content to make AI adjustments. Ha, believe it or not.
If AI is truly changing the way we interact with computers, and there are different tasks in daily life that require computers to cooperate, then we are looking for some small tools to achieve this ideal. So, with the first wave of wearable AI hardware coming onto the market, related challenges and adaptations are expected to occur within 2024.
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