I’ve just spent the past couple of weeks testing out the new Rokid Smart glasses and they’re quite an impressive piece of wearable tech.
Firstly, they are smaller and lighter (49grams) than you’d expect and mostly look like stylish, everyday frames…but they do a lot more.
The glasses feature a Micro-LED display, a twelve-megapixel camera, and open-ear speakers. Pair that hardware with a hands-free AI assistant and you can access real time voice and reading translation, capture photos and video and navigate to where you need to be…with everything projected in the glasses display.
The more I wore these and tried out the various features I realised that the Rokid Smart Glasses would make an excellent travel companion when you are in countries where language can be a barrier and you don’t want to look like a lost tourist.
For example when looking at a sign on a shop or reading a menu that’s not in your native language you can simply ask the Rokid AI assistant to translate what you are looking at. The translated text can appear in both the glasses and audio. This ability also carries across to spoken word where you can either get one way translation into your glasses and ears or have a two way conversation by using your Rokid App screen to show translations of your half of the conversation in the language of the other person. The Rokid Glasses supports 89 languages.
Now if you’re in an unfamiliar place (perhaps still in a foreign country) you may not know your way around. While you may just whip out your phone and bring up Google Maps to solve this, the Rokid Glasses offer a more discrete navigation method buy projecting navigation instructions in the glasses’ micro display. Note that it’s generally illegal to use this feature while driving in most places.
What if you’re not in a foreign country?
Ok, so maybe you don’t need translation features all the time, but the Rokid Glasses still have plenty of offer on home soil.
Photos & Video
The built in 12megapixel takes great photos and HD video, all hands free of course.
If you want to show everyone else what you’re seeing, as you’re seeing it, you can also LIVE STREAM from the Rokid Glasses and the setup isn’t too tricky (for example with Facebook Live).
Audio Recording/ Playback
You can also use the Rokid Glasses to record conversations (in meetings for example) and then generate a summary and transcription in the app.
Bluetooth audio from your phone can also be access from the Rokid Glasses. I wouldn’t say the quality is the best for listening to music but certainly great for calls where a simply nod or shake of your head is all you need to do to pick up or decline an incoming call.
AI Assistant
Rokid’s AI assistant uses Gemini or ChatGPT and the Glasses allow you to do this hands free. In conjuction with the Glasses’ camera this means you can also get information on what you’re looking at.
Teleprompter
If you’ve got a speech to deliver or video to record where you’re on camera but don’t want to do lots of edits or refer to paper notes, you can import your words as a PDF into the Rokid Glasses and have them come up in the display. You can even set the text to follow the pace of your reading.
What if you wear prescription Glasses?
That was actually the first question I had when offered the opportunity to review the Rokid Smart Glasses.
The glasses are designed so you can simply clip in your prescription lenses that are either custom made by your optometrist or you can supply your prescription details to Rokid and they will create them read to clip in.
Verdict: I like these Glasses and feel they will be great when I’m visiting Japan in the near future. I do also like the idea of hands free AI to get information to my eyes or ears without having to jump into my phone screen.
Right now the Rokid AI Glasses are available, bunded up with some accessories for $999.
