u/AR_MR_XR

Over the past few weeks I have invited a few speakers to the world's leading optoelectronics + photonics event, CIOE 2026 (September 9–11 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center). This is my AR Glasses Forum:

Beyond Early Adoption: What Will Drive the Growth of AR Glasses? 

—Hiroshi Mukawa, Sony

Etch-Free Manufacturing of High Refractive Index All-Inorganic Waveguides by Additive Nanoimprint Lithography 

—James Watkins, Myrias Optics

The future of AI glasses depends on display-scale optics, not semiconductor-scale manufacturing 

—Hugo da Silva, Morphotonics

Consolidating the AR Stack: A Manufacturing Platform for Smart Prescription Lenses 

—Joris Biskop, Addoptics

High-Efficiency Optical Architectures and Lens Manufacturing Strategies for Mass-Production AI & AR Glasses 

—Jeonghun Ha, LetinAR

Microdisplays for All Day Wearable AI-AR Glasses 

—Brian Kim, RAONTECH

TriLite's Laser Beam Scanners: Eliminating the Boundaries of Traditional Displays 

—Mario Spiegl, TriLite

And the most recent addition: Tobii will talk about a 10 dollar display

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. We have curated a phenomenal lineup of speakers.

⚪ The latest in LCOS, MEMS Laser Beam Scanning, and microLED: Avegant, AINSTEC, Hongshi, Qiushui Semiconductor, and TCL CSOT presenting Full-Color Silicon-Based Micro-LED Display

⚪ Waveguides: Reflective, Diffractive, Volume Holographic, Materials: Glass and Silicon Carbide: SCHOTT, SeeV, GreatAR, Nika Optics, Hailian Jingsheng, Timemaker, and Crystal-Optech talking about their broad range of solutions

⚪ ODMs, Manufacturing, Subsystems: Luxshare speaking about Innovation Directions of AI-Powered Smart Glasses, Guoyan New Energy about battery solutions, Yibei Technology, InnoRev, 3D-Micromac

⚪ Compute Chips: GravityXR, Infineon

⚪ XR Brands sharing about product and market insights: PICO, MemoMind, INMO, LAWK, Xvisio

⚪ Spatial Content, Capture, GenAI: iQIYI, XGRIDS, VAST

See you in Shenzhen! Let's connect if you're attending.

Tickets are free.

The largest optoelectronics expo—with 4,000 exhibitors and 150,000 visitors over 3 days—and r/AugmentedReality partner to bring you the latest hardware achievements from the expo floor.

My focus will be on the AR/VR sub-expo, of course, with exhibitors like Goeroptics and Luxshare ICT. As well as the AR/VR tech shown in other sub-expos by companies like Sunny and SCHOTT.

Sep 9-11

cioe.cn/en/ARVR.html

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement banned all enforcement officers and office staff from wearing Meta smart glasses in federal workspaces to prevent the unintentional recording, storage, and external transmission of sensitive information. ICE classified the devices as de facto body-worn cameras, citing privacy and surveillance risks associated with the integrated cameras and microphones capturing bystanders.

To deploy secure, dedicated hardware for operational use, its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, requested 7.5 million dollars in April to develop smart glasses prototypes for immigration enforcement, aiming to equip field officers with immediate individual identification and data access capabilities. Industry analysts note that mass adoption now depends on device trustworthiness, with proposed solutions including clear external recording indicators and processing sensitive data internally to minimize transmission.

• Acquisition adds IP, engineering expertise, MEMS-based laser beam scanning tech
• Purchase supports TDK’s strategy to develop advanced, vertically integrated display solutions for future smart glasses, combining TDK’s eye intent technology, Full-color Laser Module (FCLM), MEMS mirror, and other internal TDK technologies to build a smart glass display system under TDK AIsight.

TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) announces that it has acquired assets from OQmented (legal name: kiiz Technologies GmbH), a German-based company known for its expertise in MEMS-based laser beam scanning and advanced display technologies. By combining TDK’s eye intent technology, FCLM, MEMS mirror, and other technologies, TDK aims to build a display system that will significantly influence the performance of smart glasses.

The transaction strengthens the TDK group company TDK AIsight, TDK’s augmented reality (AR) display business, and supports the company’s strategy to develop next-generation optical solutions for smart glasses and other immersive display applications.

Through the acquisition, TDK gains access to intellectual property, engineering know-how, and key technical capabilities that complement its existing expertise in MEMS, optics, electronics, and system integration. The acquired assets are expected to accelerate TDK’s efforts to build a vertically integrated light engine platform for AR display systems.

Within the AI ecosystem, TDK offers a broad portfolio of components supporting the smart glasses market, which is expected to grow steadily over the medium to long term. In June of 2025, to further enhance its capabilities in this field, TDK acquired SoftEye, Inc., a U.S.-based systems solutions company developing custom chips, cameras, software, and algorithms for smart glasses. The following year, TDK established TDK AIsight to accelerate the development of its smart glasses solutions business and support the realization of AI glasses that deliver intuitive and compelling user experiences.

“By bringing OQmented’s capabilities into TDK AIsight, we are reinforcing our position in a highly promising market segment,” said Te-Won, CEO at TDK AIsight. “This acquisition enhances our ability to develop innovative display solutions and support the growing demand for high-performance AR devices.”

OQmented’s technology portfolio is particularly aligned with TDK’s focus on display innovation, including MEMS mirror technology, laser beam scanning, and display engine development. With this acquisition, TDK aims to further strengthen its foundation for commercialization and manufacturing of advanced light engine solutions.

The integration of these assets will support TDK’s broader ambition to create complete display systems that can be scaled for future consumer, automotive, industrial, and mobility applications. Source: TDK

We're looking for:

• Best AR Optical Solution of the Year
• Optical Technology Breakthrough of the Year

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. To apply, please email business at focusxr.cn by the end of this Friday, August 21, 2026, with the following:
⚪ Company abbreviation & technology name
⚪ Product introduction document (covering core tech, innovations, use cases)
⚪ Demonstration media (must show actual effects/performance)
⚪ Contact person details

The SIVA Awards 2026 are co-hosted by CIOE (China International Optoelectronic Exposition), the largest optoelectronics expo with 4,000 exhibitors and 150,000 visitors over 3 days, and SIVA (the AR VR expo at CIOE). The Awards Ceremony will take place on the first evening of the expo 18:00 - 21:00, September 9, 2026, at the Hilton next to Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center.

On my recent trip to Shenzhen, I walked through Huaqiangbei—the world’s largest electronics market, spanning a network of multi-story malls packed with thousands of stalls. A growing number of those booths are now selling XR eyewear. Take a look at the photo gallery to see what is on the floor. While you will still find plenty of cheap audio and camera frames, established tech brands have a much bigger presence than they did a year ago. In fact, district-wide Smart Glasses sales were up 100% year-over-year during the first seven months of 2026.

My favorite shop this year was in Yuanwang Digital Mall. They had the widest lineup by far. Displays ranged from entry-level camera frames to flagship glasses from Qwen, RayNeo, XREAL, INMO, iFlytek, INAIR, Rokid, MLVision, Holoswim, and Goolton. They even had the only pair of LLVISION glasses I have seen anywhere, and even an Epson HMD.

Huaqiangbei is more than just a massive retail spot—it is an integrated hardware supply chain with an ultra-fast turnaround. Thanks to its hyper-localized prototyping, manufacturing, and assembly network, teams can take a new concept to market in days rather than months. By pairing hands-on floor testing with online sales, roughly 40% of the district's outbound shipments now head abroad to over 190 countries.

We see the same momentum across the rest of China. Across all channels, smart glasses sales hit 909,000 units and 1.88 billion RMB in the first half of 2026, up 85.5% and 98.7% year-over-year. That volume was helped along by national consumer subsidies offering a direct 15% discount (up to 500 RMB) and a new wave of sub-1,000 RMB frames running on-device AI models.

While that total market volume includes physical stores, the latest RUNTO brand rankings only track online sales. RayNeo led the e-commerce charts with an 18.9% share, followed by Rokid at 16.7%. Alibaba’s Qwen took third place at 8.6%, while Alibaba’s Quark came in sixth. Combined, Alibaba's two brands nearly catch Rokid online—and from my impression walking Shenzhen's brick-and-mortar eyewear stores, their physical retail footprint actually beats Rokid and RayNeo already. Huawei took fourth place at 8.2%, with XREAL in fifth and Xiaomi in seventh.

This was Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1

VITURE launched the $299 Viture Pro 2 smart glasses, a 63g wearable display with birdbath optics and 0.55-inch Sony MicroOLED panels delivering 1080p resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 50° FOV, and 1600nits of peak brightness. The hardware is 20% lighter and 16% thinner than the previous generation, featuring independent 0 to -5.0D diopter dials for built-in vision correction. Operating via USB-C, the glasses interface directly with smartphones, PCs, and gaming handhelds, utilizing the companion SpaceWalker software to anchor virtual multi-screen workspaces with 3DoF head tracking and process iPhone Spatial Video playback. To support extended use, Viture released a 65W pass-through Ultra Adapter for continuous power and Switch 2 routing, and partnered with ride-hailing platform DiDi to integrate the XR headsets into daily commutes as in-vehicle passenger entertainment displays.

Li Auto plans to launch its second gen Livis AI glasses in the second half of 2027, partnering with Zeiss on an in-lens AR display that projects navigation data directly to the driver while compressing hardware weight below the original 36g baseline. Powered by the proprietary MindGPT-4o multimodal model, the architecture enables cabin isolation by routing audio prompts strictly to the wearer to avoid interrupting rear-seat entertainment. Expanding its vehicle-to-glasses integration this August, Li Auto is rolling out external summoning to let users execute automated parking via voice commands from outside the car. Operating as an integrated hardware hub supported by native HarmonyOS software and the OpenClaw third-party agent interface, the glasses process first-person visual queries, remote vehicle controls, and sentry risk alerts.

Meta donated 15,000 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to Vision Ireland to provide visually impaired adults with hands-free environmental descriptions, object identification, and text-to-speech capabilities. Vision Ireland manages the application rollout, while Meta fully funds the accompanying in-person device training.

Alibaba launched the Qwen Open Platform across mobile, PC, and smart glasses to enable developers to build custom software skills using natural language prompts alongside onboard camera and voice hardware. The ecosystem features a Skill Platform for consumer applications, such as obstacle recognition tools for visually impaired users, and an Industry Customization module that allows enterprise teams to build inspection assistants for industrial and retail workflows to monitor equipment and verify checklists. To support future applications in 3D tourism navigation, athletic coaching, and smart home control, Alibaba will expand the platform's hardware capabilities to include spatial 3D stereoscopic displays and motion health sensing.

Rayvision and DEEPLUM collaborate to launch a range of full-color AR smart glasses with OLEDoS displays and array waveguides. Integrating AI agents for consumer and business use cases, the first products are expected to launch in 2026 across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and China.

Addressing the optical requirements of continuous daily wear, the engineering framework integrates lightweight array waveguides with 0.23-inch MicroOLED display models with panel brightness of 6000-12000 nits. Prioritizing device longevity, the technical collaboration optimizes power allocation and dynamic image processing to sustain high-brightness visual output. To scale microdisplay output for these systems, Rayvision initiated construction on a 35,000 sqm, 3 billion RMB 12-inch silicon-based OLED manufacturing complex in Changsha on February 25, expanding operations beyond its active 8-inch wafer facility in Guangxi that currently produces 400,000 units annually.

Image shows the current monochrome green display glasses by DEEPLUM.

Ezion Optoelectronics has achieved mass production readiness and commenced volume supply for its 2D array waveguide for consumer AR eyewear. With 25° FOV, 16x16mm eye box, and 20mm eye relief, the 0.95mm thin, 4.1 gram waveguide is compatible with mainstream microLED and LCOS engines. Constraining total binocular module weight below 10 grams to enable continuous daily wear, the product line is undergoing active verification for a 0.75mm, 3.3g variant alongside planned 50° and 70° FOV implementations.

Established in 2024 as an upstream Tier 2 optical component supplier, Ezion executes a dual-track strategy spanning consumer wearables and automotive displays. By sharing core optical designs and manufacturing supply chains across both markets, the enterprise reduces development risks while delivering integrated optical modules directly to Tier 1 integrators and OEMs.

Targeting vehicular deployment, the mass-producible optical waveguide Augmented Reality HUD architecture replaces high-volume freeform mirror systems with a LCOS Picture Generation Unit, achieving expanded FOV within a compact footprint compatible with space-constrained vehicle classifications. Executing Proof of Concept validations and prototype vehicle integrations across collaborative OEM programs, the firm projects formal project nominations in 2026, anticipating the commencement of standard mass manufacturing between the second half of 2027 and early 2028.

Please ask them your questions in the AMA post there:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SmartGlasses/comments/1vmp2n8/we_built_the_lightest_display_glasses_ask_me/

Hey! I got the new MentraOS version today and with it comes support for Nimo Glasses. I took a quick through-the-lens photo showing the Mentra navigation app, and in the second image, you can see the 29-gram lightweight glasses with a binocular display. In the screenshots, you can see the standard and top apps in their store. Having a Twitter feed and language learning apps is definitely something we do not usually see on smart glasses!

Nimo has their own app, but it will take a few more days until they release the next version with English support. In the meantime, I will be taking a closer look at the Mentra app. Are there any devs here currently working on Mentra apps?

Reminder: Nimo is joining us in r/SmartGlasses for an AMA tomorrow, Aug 12, at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT. Just drop by the sub and leave a comment with your question. The AMA post will go up a few hours ahead of the start time.

www.nimoar.com | mentraglass.com/os

Hey! I got the new MentraOS version today and with it comes support for Nimo Glasses. I took a quick through-the-lens photo showing the Mentra navigation app, and in the second image, you can see the 29-gram lightweight glasses with a binocular display. In the screenshots, you can see the standard and top apps in their store. Having a Twitter feed and language learning apps is definitely something we do not usually see on smart glasses!

Nimo has their own app, but it will take a few more days until they release the next version with English support. In the meantime, I will be taking a closer look at the Mentra app. Are there any devs here currently working on Mentra apps?

Reminder: Nimo is joining us in r/SmartGlasses for an AMA tomorrow, Aug 12, at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT. Just drop by the sub and leave a comment with your question. The AMA post will go up a few hours ahead of the start time.

www.nimoar.com | mentraglass.com/os

Samsung is promoting its upcoming Intelligent Eyewear line as "lighter than most commercially available audio AI glasses." They achieved a balanced fit by using an asymmetric layout that places the battery in one arm and the processor and sensors in the other, while still featuring dual directional open-ear speakers. Because the frames sit directly against the face, engineers subjected them to extreme durability testing, including injecting alcohol-based sunscreen directly into the speakers.

To establish this new hardware category, Samsung filed around 200 patents covering everything from ultra-thin hinges to a dedicated thermal graphite shield in the left temple that prevents the processor's heat from transferring to the wearer's face.

Slated for an initial fall release, with only the US and South Korea currently confirmed as launch markets, the device aims to reduce smartphone screentime by acting as a Galaxy ecosystem extension—for example, allowing users to trigger a hands-free video recording on the glasses while using a connected Galaxy Watch as a live viewfinder.

Regarding data and security, Samsung confirmed that user data will not be used for AI model training, and the recording function automatically deactivates if the external LED is artificially covered or if the glasses are removed.

LG Electronics is also developing its own smart glasses, according to The Korea Herald. They are working on a display-equipped model and are targeting a weight of under 49 grams with more than eight hours of battery life.

On the component side:

SeeTrue Technologies, a Finnish eye-tracking startup, recently secured a €2.2 million investment round led by ZEISS Ventures. Their proprietary architecture combines tiny sensors with optimized embedded processing to create an ultra-low-power, small-footprint tracking solution. The funding will accelerate the commercialization of their eye-tracking solutions across smart eyewear, as well as medical and industrial optical systems.

SIDTEK recently announced it has scaled its OLED-on-Silicon production, consolidating its 8-inch wafer operations with its high-volume 12-inch production lines. While their Wuhu 12-inch line is already outputting 6,000 wafers per month, an additional 12-inch line in Nanchong is currently under construction and set to begin production in 2027, yielding another 6,000 wafers monthly. SIDTEK is leveraging this "8+12 inch" dual capacity to supply a wide range of panels. For the display smartglasses market, the company currently produces 0.23-inch microdisplays on its 8-inch lines, but is actively developing a new microdisplay for its 12-inch lineup. This upcoming display targets a 960x640 resolution and a massive 12,000 nits of brightness to significantly enhance full-color display performance in these smartglasses.