Despite tensions in Sino-American relations, Chinese companies remain highly engaged in the global tech scene, with over 1,300 exhibitors from China at CES 2025, setting a new record. TCL, with a booth covering 2,342 square meters, once again claimed the title of the largest Chinese exhibitor at the event. This reflects the importance Chinese manufacturers place on international platforms. In the world of smart glasses, Chinese companies introduced several game-changing innovations,highlighting the country’s growing presence in the wearable tech space.

Rokid: AR glasses with information overlay

One of the standout products at the show was Rokid Glasses, an AR eyewear designed to display a clear virtual interface directly onto the lenses without obstructing the wearer’s view. The glasses enable users to view information like subtitles, translations, or navigation directions overlaid on their real-world surroundings.

The Rokid Glasses are integrated with Tongyi Qianwen, an AI large model, which provides functions such as object recognition, text translation, and even real-time math problem solving. For example, the glasses can instantly calculate the calorie content of food or automatically translate spoken language during conversations.

Looking ahead, the glasses are set to support additional AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini, allowing users to choose the one that best suits their needs.

Thunderbird: AI glasses for 4K imaging

Thunderbird presented its Thunderbird V3 AI glasses, developed in partnership with TCL. The glasses are equipped with custom optical lenses and the Falcon Imaging System, enabling them to capture 4K photos and videos in multiple formats. Despite its advanced features, the Thunderbird V3 weighs just 39 grams and offers up to 30 hours of battery life with its included charging case.

The glasses also incorporate an AI large model developed in collaboration with Alibaba’s Tongyi, designed to shorten response times and improve recognition accuracy. Additional features include AI-driven summarization, music streaming, and QR code payment capabilities.

Halliday: AI Glasses with Standard Lenses

Moody, a Chinese contact lens brand, introduced Halliday, an AI-powered pair of glasses developed with Gyges Labs. Unlike most smart glasses, Halliday is compatible with standard optical lenses, meaning users don’t need custom prescriptions. This makes the glasses suitable for both nearsighted and farsighted individuals.

Using proprietary optical technology, Halliday weighs just 35 grams and offers 12 hours of battery life on a full charge. The glasses feature touch controls on the arms and can be paired with a smart ring for additional functions. In addition to standard smart glasses features like real-time translation and navigation, Halliday includes a Proactive AI Agent to assist with everyday tasks. Halliday is set to launch on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform at the end of January.

DPVR: Eye-Tracking VR Headset

DPVR introduced the P2 Vision VR headset, which integrates eye-tracking technology. The headset builds on the existing P2 model but is lighter and more comfortable for extended use. The P2 Vision is designed for professional applications, such as training and healthcare, where precise user interaction with VR content is needed.

DreamSmart: AI Glasses for the Hearing Impaired

DreamSmart unveiled the StarV Air2, a pair of AI-powered glasses aimed at assisting individuals with hearing impairments. These glasses transcribe spoken language and display the subtitles on the lenses, helping with communication in both personal and professional settings.

In addition to real-time transcription, the StarV Air2 offers live translation during phone calls and can generate text records of conversations, making it a useful tool for the hearing impaired in everyday situations.

CES Asia, one of the world’s largest trade shows, kicked off in Shanghai on June 13. Over 500 companies from around the world are taking part in the three-day show, generating buzzes in artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, electric vehicles, and more.

TechNode team is going to be live blogging from the event to bring the latest trends. Check back for regular updates!

The 2017 CES Asia kicked off at the Shanghai New International Exposition Center (SNIEC) with over 450 companies exhibiting, showcasing products in 19 categories such as AI, vehicle technology, and virtual reality. So many companies but what to watch out for?

At the 2017 Tech Trends to Watch session, chief economist of CTA, the company behind CES, Dr. Shawn DuBravac outlined four key technology trends and some interesting companies to note.

Invisible computing

The computing experience is evolving as traditional computers, tablets and even smartphone sales growth slows. Instead, we’re seeing a move into new devices and designs. The next frontier is voice recognition or even gesture control as the interface, rather than a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

You can use speech recognition to give hands-free commands through your voice to advance songs in an app while you’re out walking or jogging. A lot of the internet experiences previously were reliant on devices that are connected to the network, such as computers and smartphones. But now, we’re starting to connect more directly.

Dr. DuBravac mentioned the Vinci headphones as a new device equipped with a computing experience. The headphones were successfully funded on Indiegogo and are billed as the world’s first intelligent headphones. It is equipped with voice recognition technology which takes commands such as changing the music or providing directions to a restaurant.

 Augmented and virtual reality

Augmented and virtual reality are trends that continue to gain momentum. Hardware based on the technology may still be considered expensive toys but there are some exciting advances in this area. Mixed reality is one of those advances where what’s happening in the virtual space and also the physical world are combined to create a rich environment.

An application of this technology is the Valeo digital displays for vehicles, where situational awareness displays will show a 3D rendering of the car in midst of its environment, not just the conventional forward or rear views we’re used to seeing.

Another interesting company working in this area is the Power Ray underwater drone, which provides a whole new fishing experience. The drone is equipped with a 3D display to help immerse you in the underwater world while you’re trying to hook that big catch.

 Algorithmic experience

Technology based on algorithms and crunching big data will be applied to many more areas such as appliances and retail. Dr. DuBravac described it as like the Jetsons, the 60s cartoon show depicting a family living in the space age with all the futuristic conveniences. That future is not far from us now.

By automating appliances and introducing robots, our gadgets can take care of chores such as vacuuming, feeding the pets and do shopping when the milk runs out. Some of that is already happening now. However, the technology will advance so all the appliances in that environment are linked and can run on settings based on time and environmental parameters.

That brings us to the age of adaptive automation. There will be sensors to take myriad readings which will provide data to make recommendations or even make decisions on the user’s behalf. More services and products will appear based on consumption driven by algorithms.

Oomi smart home technology is a company doing well in this respect according to Dr. DuBravac. They have a range of sensorized appliances that are all connected, which has been made possible as the prices of sensors have fallen. Other applications are autonomous cars and drone deliveries from JD.com.

 The digital life

We used to talk about going online as if we were breaking from what we were doing in the physical world to engage with the content for a period of time. Then when we disengaged, it was described as going offline and back to the physical world. However,  our lifestyles and our environments are increasingly digitized. We’re in a world that is both analog and digital.

We’re moving far beyond devices such as smartphones with more and more sensors being deployed to capture information that has always been there but hasn’t been digitized. The information is being re-deployed to make recommendations and decisions for us.

Some of the technology showcased at CES that speak to this trend include the internet of things, IoT. Tech Air from Alpine Stars are airbags that protect motorcycle riders. The air bags are equipped with sensors and software algorithm that will instruct the airbag to deploy if an impact is imminent.

Editor’s note: This originally appeared on Analyse Asia, a weekly podcast hosted by Bernard Leong, dedicated to dissecting the pulse of business, technology, and media in Asia. The podcast features guests from Asia’s vibrant tech community.

Ben Bajarin from Creative Strategies and Techpinions joined us in a two part conversation to discuss the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 in Las Vegas. In the 2nd part of the conversation, we dived deeper into the themes that Ben has summarized in the earlier episode focusing on the TV, home automation, digital assistants and self driving cars.

Listen to the episode here or subscribe.

Here are the interesting show notes and links to the discussion (with timestamps included):

• Ben Bajarin (@benbajarin, LinkedIn, Techpinions profile) from Creative Strategies and Techpinions.
• CES 2017 Part 2
  • On Bigger, Brighter, Thinner TVs
    • How are the Asian OEMs leading and how has the technology from TV are evolving, for example, Samsung with screens, and Foxconn now with Sharp LEDs? [1:05]
    • TV screen technology moving from OLED to Quantum dots [3:03]
    • Market entry strategy into the US for China technology companies or OEMs such as Xiaomi and Huawei using televisions. For example, LeEco is going into the US through the television. An interesting example is with Walmart selling TVs that are made by Philips brand. [5:32]
  • On Year of the Smart Home
    • Voice hubs such as Echo & Google Home have dominated the conversation. Where does that lead with Apple TV or other home automation gadgets such as NEST? [8:40]
      • Lenovo smart speaker
    • Should Apple make a speaker similar to the Google Home or Amazon Echo? [11:07]
    • Are robotics part of the smart home narrative, for example, we see a lot of home robots: Softbank’s Pepper, LG’s Hub Robot? [13:30]
  • Cars are interesting again
    • Do you have to go to CES or move onto a car show such as Detroit Motor Show afterward to see where mobility and transportation are going? [17:27]
    • Are we going to see a self-driving car soon? Is that car coming from the traditional automotive companies or technology companies (Uber, Google, Tesla, Apple)? [19:40]
      • Tesla as the best example of the reality of a self-driving car.
• References:
  • A Few Big Themes from CES by Ben Bajarin (Requires Subscription)
  • A very Producty #CES2017 by Steven Sinofsky
  • Cars as feature phones by Benedict Evans
  • Podcast: US Retail Trends – what sold and what didn’t in US Consumer Tech

TechNode does not necessarily endorse the commentary made in this program.

Panoramic filming for VR is taking the world by storm, and Chinese startups are vying for a piece of the action.

Shenzhen-based Insta360 officially launched their 360-degree panoramic camera Insta360 Nano at CES 2016 this month. The Insta360 team claims the Nano is the smallest panoramic camera on the market, allowing users to attach it to a smartphone for 360 ° panoramic video.

“The Nano is the world’s smallest 360-degree camera and will be cheaper than $200 USD. It can stitch videos in real-time, live broadcast or share the videos on social media,” Insta360’s associate Chenjin Yao says.

The Insta360 Nano is an entry-level piece of hardware for the VR and AR industry. Users can download the Insta360 official app and place the Nano camera on their smartphone to start shooting a 360 ° panoramic video. Users can also try out VR viewing mode by placing their phone into a VR HMD to experience the live feel of 360 °.

It’s the consumer-friendly counterpart to their professional 4K Beta ($1,000 USD), aimed at business users. The Beta can record 4K videos up to 100 minutes long and playback video without connecting to any other power supply. Insta360 also launched two applications – Insta360 Player and Insta360 Explore.

The company has already completed 60 million yuan in financing and Mr. Yao says they aim to close a further 100 million yuan in the near future.

Other players in 360-degree cameras include Bublcam ($799 USD), ALLie Cam, Sphericam, Geonaute 360, Panono ($539 USD), 360cam ($499 USD), Ricoh Theta ($399 USD), 360Fly ($399 USD), Kodak SP360 ($299 USD), V.360 ($449 USD) and CENTR.

Image Credit: TechNode, Insta360

EHang has revealed an electric autonomous areal vehicle at CES this week, the first of its kind. The EHang 184 drone can carry a single person, weighing up to 130kg, to a designated destination.

The eight-rotor vehicle doesn’t allow the passenger to control the vehicle, which brings to mind several safety concerns. Similar to the package delivery drones currently being prototyped by Amazon, the EHang 184 is set to an established location for an autonomous flight, rather that being controlled by the passenger.

The company claims that the drone has already completed over 100 test flights. They also note that a control centre monitors each flight around the clock with the ability to intervene in an emergency situation.

While it may not be commercially ready from a safety perspective, the company has added several other consumer friendly features, including a trunk for luggage and outward folding doors. The drone’s propeller arms can also fold upward for tight storage.

The drone can travel at up to 100km an hour and can fly for 23 minutes, according to the company, and the battery takes two hours to recharge. No release date has currently been set.

China is working hard to throw off a reputation for copycat hardware, but a public showdown between U.S. authorities and a Chinese company at CES this week didn’t help.

U.S. Federal Marshals reportedly raided the booth of a Chinese electric skateboard startup at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Thursday, seizing a number of the one-wheeled products.

The infringement complaint comes from Future Motion, makers of the Onewheel scooter, which bears a striking resemblance to the confiscated product made by Changzhou First International Trade Co. The American company filed a complaint in Vegas followed by a court hearing over the phone that permitted the raid and restraining order.

In an interview with Bloomberg Business Onewheel Inventor Kyle Doerksen said that the company was aware that the Chinese company would be exhibiting the product before the show. “We engaged our IP lawyers because we heard there were going to be knock offs of the Onewheel product appearing at CES,” said Mr. Doerksen.

“So we went through the formal US legal process to get a temporary restraining order against one of these companies thats trying to sell a knock off product to the States for the first time.”

While China’s IP protection environment has seen some improvement in recent years, the country still struggles with counterfeits and knock offs, compromising the country’s reputation abroad. Companies like Xiaomi have injected some legitimacy into the practice of making better quality hardware for lower prices, though startups within the country are still struggling to remain competitive within the low-cost ecosystem.

Nonetheless, electric scooters, skateboards and hoverboards have gained a lot of traction among young Chinese startups who are taking advantage of the country’s close proximity to manufacturing.

Last April China-based Ninebot, backed by Xiaomi, acquired Segway, the U.S. company that popularized self-balancing electric scooters. Xiaomi and Ninebot have since released a modified ‘handleless’ scooter backed by the Segway technology.

The scooter at the centre of Thurday’s raid uses similar sensors to keep the board balanced around a central wheel. The Chinese company told the BBC that they didn’t believe they had broken the law, and that they had kept the technology private to avoid copycats from other Chinese technology companies.

Image Credit: Onewheel