Xiaomi is one of the many companies that has arrived at MWC 2023 with suitcases loaded with announcements. Among many are his first augmented reality glasses, baptized as Xiaomi Wireless AR Smart Glass Discovery Edition. We are talking about an interesting concept that comes with very promising technical characteristics, in an attractive and quite futuristic format.
The first thing to note about Xiaomi’s augmented reality glasses is that, as its name indicates, they are wireless. This already makes them very interesting, since the cable-free user experience is crucial for the future of this type of device. But what is truly remarkable is that the Chinese brand promises a full link latency of just 50 millisecondsand a wireless latency of only 3 milliseconds when connected with a mobile.
The Asian firm ensures that it has achieved such low latency thanks to the implementation of a proprietary wireless system. However, more details about it are unknown. What has been mentioned is that the AR Smart Glass has been developed with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 technology; a striking case if we consider that the US chipmaker introduced the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 platform late last year, which promises higher performance with lower power consumption.
The design, meanwhile, is one of the points in which Xiaomi seems to have hit the key when developing its augmented reality glasses. Not only because they have a futuristic appearance that suits them really well, but because the materials used have allowed for a very light final product. The device boasts a frame developed with a magnesium and lithium alloy, with carbon fiber parts. While it incorporates a siloxygen anode battery that brings its total weight to just 126 grams.
Xiaomi’s futuristic augmented reality glasses can be seen at MWC 2023
That Xiaomi’s augmented reality glasses are light is not a minor detail. Especially if we consider that these gadgets they aim to become pieces of extensive use throughout our day. Therefore, a comfortable and lightweight design is crucial for a pleasant user experience.
Another interesting element of the Xiaomi Wireless AR Smart Glass Discovery Edition is the implementation of “Retina level” displays. The Asians claim to be closer than anyone to achieving the optimal angular resolution of 60 pixels per degree (PPD) so that the human eye cannot distinguish the graininess, which will allow a near seamless integration of virtual elements in the real world. In this sense, Xiaomi ensures that its augmented reality glasses have a PPD of 58.
As for the screens themselves, the device incorporates two Micro OLED panels with a brightness of up to 1,200 nits. In addition, the glasses allow you to switch with a single touch between a “transparency” mode to interact more fluidly with the real world, and a darker environment to facilitate the viewing of content. This, thanks to the electrochromic lenses that adapt to ambient lighting.
Innovative gesture control
Lei Junfounder and CEO of Xiaomi, has published a video showing the characteristics of his first augmented reality glasses. Of course, several elements still have science fiction overtones, but the truth is that the gesture control proposed by this gadget it’s really innovative. Especially, because it uses the palm of the user’s hand as a control surface.
The device’s cameras recognize the middle phalanges of the index and middle fingers as sections that can be controlled using the thumb. According to the company, microgestures to interact with apps or make scrolling They have been specifically designed to allow easy handling of the glasses using just one hand. To this will be added gestures that will allow you to “take” the TV screen and take it to the augmented reality glasses, or interact with smart home devices such as lamps and other devices.
Xiaomi’s augmented reality glasses are for now a concept and They will not go on sale massively. However, they make it clear that the Chinese brand has big plans for a sector that is gaining the attention of more and more companies.
