Xiaomi (OTC: XIACY) unveiled its own wireless augmented reality (AR) glasses on Monday as the Chinese technology company looks to expand into a "metaverse" product that has yet to become mainstream.
The device, called the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, is designed to let users see virtual objects as if they were physically there with its "retina-level adaptive display." To navigate the AR, users can raise their hand in front of the glasses and move their fingers to select and open apps, swipe through pages and exit apps without using a smartphone.
"This kind of interaction showcases one of the directions that Xiaomi believes human-computer interaction will take in the future," the company said.
The headset is also lightweight, weighing only 126 grams (4.4 ounces) and displays informations to the user via two MicroOLED screens, Xiaomi said. Xiaomi said its AR headset is the first to "utilize distributed computing," with its display using an embedded camera that adjusts to changes in light in the users' environment.
Xiaomi said that the headset is capable of supporting a variety of large-screen applications, with users being able to watch videos from popular apps like TikTok or YouTube (NASDAQ: GOOGL) on the glasses by turning them into a portable screen. Users can also add shortcuts to their favorite apps "anywhere in the viewing space", adjusting their interface size via spatial gestures, Xiaomi said.
The glasses are currently just a concept technology, with Xiaomi announcing them at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. If the company were to launch this product, it will compete with other devices from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Google, and Snap (NYSE: SNAP).
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has also reportedly been working on its own headset for sometime, though the tech giant has yet to make any official announcements or launch any type of virtual reality or AR headset.
The company said the headset will work with its flagship Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro, which launched globally on Sunday. The smartphone had an initial launch late last year in China, and now is expanding abroad to global markets in Europe and other parts of Asia.
Xiaomi has not given a launch timeline for the AR headset or pricings.
Xiaomi is one of the biggest smartphone makers in the world, but often branches outside of handheld devices into other Internet-of-Things electronics like smartwatches, televisions and electric scooters.