‘What if AI had eyes': meet Chinese firm Xreal, Google's partner in AR glasses project
augmented reality (AR) firm Xreal is back in the spotlight via a partnership with
Google to create the first eyewear powered by the US tech giant's Android XR operating system, intensifying competition in the nascent market for spectacles supported by
artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The
start-up 's venture with Google, dubbed Project Aura, was among the key announcements made on Tuesday at the opening of the US
internet search company's annual I/O developer conference, which concluded on Wednesday.
Project Aura – with the tagline 'what if AI had eyes' – features a pair of lightweight, tethered Xreal AR glasses powered by
Qualcomm 's Snapdragon processor.
The smart glasses will offer a dual-mode augmented reality experience; optical see-through, which is a direct overlay of digital content onto a real-world view; and virtual see-through, which blends camera-captured images with digital elements, according to Google and Xreal.
Without providing more details, Xreal founder and chief executive Xu Chi said the new AR glasses are expected to hit the consumer market later in 2025 or early next year, according to his interview with Bloomberg.
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