I’ve always been a tech-heavy user. Ever since primary school, I gave up taking notes on paper, everything I learned was through technology. My backpack, once packed with textbooks, gradually became lighter as the years passed, replaced by different devices. So naturally, I’ve become more and more detached from using papers and pens. In the past few year, I’ve been buying or trying out different innovative technologies, until recently, I got the chance to try on the Xiaomi Smart Audio Glasses.
The integrated features honestly surprised me: real-time recording, instant translation, scanning QR codes for payments (a huge convenience in China). Yet, one question immediately popped into my mind: why do I need smart glasses in the first place?
In class, we discussed how VR and AR are transforming industries. For example, in aviation, engineers are already using VR to detect errors and damages on aircraft components, or to simulate and describe objectives in training.
But for an everyday user like me, who doesn’t work in fields requiring heavy inspection, it’s harder to see the necessity. Sure, the features are fun and convenient. But they still feel more like an extra gadget than a must-have tool, unlike smartphones, which have become essential. Therefore, it made me wonder: what would it take for smart glasses to truly become indispensable?
A Different Perspective: Helping the Visually Impaired
That’s when I came across a YouTube channel run by a visually impaired content creator. She shared how Meta glasses had genuinely helped her, features like Aira Talk, Meta AI real-time answers, text translation, and image analysis all provided her with new independence.
It was truly insipiring. While I had been seeing smart glasses as the lens of convenience, for her they were a life changing tool. But even she admitted the current technology isn’t perfect. Limited battery life and difficulty prompting the AI make it unreliable. And from my perspective, I don’t think companies have invested heavily enough into making these glasses truly accessible for the blind.
Where Smart Glasses Could Go
Smart glasses today sit in an awkward middle ground. For tech lovers like me, they’re cool, but not essential. For industries, they’re powerful but niche. For the blind, they hold massive potential, but haven’t yet lived up to it.
For instance, in China, I often see how difficult daily navigation can be for blind people. The pathways built for them are often blocked by parked vehicles or street vendors, making it nearly impossible to walk safely with just a cane.
This made me think: what if smart glasses could integrate real-time navigation for the blind? With faster AI response times, improved battery life and accuracy, they could guide visually impaired people around obstacles in real life, not just describe text or translate signs. That would turn smart glasses into something far beyond a fancy gadget, they could become a necessity that truly changes lives. Thus, maybe the real breakthrough for smart glasses won’t come from adding more “convenience” features for the average consumer. Instead, it might come from redesigning or improving them as tools for accessibility, giving independence and freedom to people who need it most.
