Chinese AR start-up Rokid eyes industrial applications after success with temperature-reading smart glasses
- Shipments of Rokid Glass 1 soared between April and June, giving the company one of its biggest commercial successes since its foundation in 2014
- In China, the AR and VR market is forecast to grow 66 per cent year on year to US$4.09 billion in 2020, according to IDC
Imagine being able to blur the lines between reality and the virtual world by putting on a set of augmented reality wearables, just like Major Motoko Kusanagi in the Japanese anime classic Ghost in the Shell.
Rokid, a Hangzhou-based augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, is among a number of Chinese companies trying to bring this vision into reality.
The company expects its new smart glasses product to expand end-use applications into industries such as art expositions, entertainment, and manufacturing after its body temperature-detecting smart glasses were used in more than 30 countries to help limit the spread of Covid-19.
“It was an important period for our brand-building,” said Rokid founder Zhu Mingming, who previously headed an AI research lab at Alibaba Group, owner of the Post.
As the threat of the pandemic appears to have abated in China, the 6-year-old company – which counts Temasek Holdings and Credit Suisse Group as investors – has been gearing up for mass shipments of its next generation of AR smart glasses, the Rokid Glass 2.
“I think we are nearing a tipping point where the sales of smart glasses with diversified features will outgrow those with [just] temperature control in the second half,” Zhu said, adding that the company has received enquiries from Germany and Russia about models with diverse features.