Rokid Glasses trigger Kickstarter hype and celebrate their premiere at IFA

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The Chinese XR company Rokid has raised over half a million US dollars on Kickstarter in just one day with a new pair of display smart glasses, apparently striking a chord with tech enthusiasts. The glasses will be presented to the public for the first time at IFA in Berlin.

AI glasses with display arouse great interest

The Kickstarter campaign will run until October 10, 2025, so it can be assumed that Rokid can expect crowdfunding in the millions. The target was set at 18,000 US dollars. Rokid plans to start delivering the first devices in November 2025. The entry-level model costs 479 US dollars for backers, which is around 20 percent below the later list price. The version with corrective glass frames is available for 519 US dollars. Anyone who would like to try out the Rokid Glasses will have the chance to do so at this year's IFA. Visitors can try out the new smart glasses for the first time in Hall 6.2, Stand 169.

With this project, Rokid is positioning itself as one of the few manufacturers that could bring smart glasses with an integrated display onto the market before Google, Meta and Apple. Smart glasses are currently experiencing a boom. One of the reasons for the increased interest is likely to be the additional functionality in everyday life, such as live translation abroad or subtitles for people with hearing loss. There is often criticism due to concerns about data protection.

Snapdragon processor and waveguide displays

The Rokid Glasses offer a double-sided micro-LED display with a monochrome green screen that brings information such as navigation, live subtitles, teleprompter text or app notifications directly in front of the eyes. In contrast to many competing products, which have so far only provided sound, Rokid focuses specifically on visual output, albeit not in true augmented reality. Projection takes place via two integrated waveguides with a 23-degree field of view and up to 1,500 nits of brightness. A 10-stage brightness control is designed to ensure legibility in all lighting conditions.

According to the manufacturer, the glasses weigh just 49 grams and are protected against splash water in accordance with IPX4. Due to the waveguide technology, corrective lenses cannot be used without further ado. For spectacle wearers, there is therefore a magnetic clip frame for corrective lenses, which is attached in front of the actual lenses. Ergonomically shaped nose pads and flexible temples are designed to make wearing the glasses more comfortable.

Technically, the system is based on a Snapdragon AR1 processor from Qualcomm. The camera uses a Sony sensor with 12 megapixels and a 109-degree field of view. It allows hands-free shots from your own perspective, including HDR mode and digital image stabilization. Photos and videos can be triggered via voice command or a button on the frame. An integrated light signals that recording is in progress.

Real-time translation and AI assistance with ChatGPT

In addition to the camera and display, the Rokid Glasses also offer microphones with wind noise filtering, speakers close to the ear, a connection to voice assistants such as ChatGPT and real-time translations in 89 languages – five of which are also available offline thanks to a dedicated language model. The glasses connect to the smartphone via Bluetooth and require an internet connection for many functions such as navigation or online translation. Music, camera, simple voice commands and the AI teleprompter work offline.

According to the manufacturer, the battery life is 5 to 6 hours of music playback, 4 hours of talk time, 2 hours of display operation or around 45 minutes of continuous video recording. A charging case with 3,000 mAh is available as an additional option and should be able to charge the glasses more than ten times. Charging is also possible during use.

(joe)