Key Milestones: From Google Glass to Rokid AI Glasses

The journey of augmented reality and smart eyewear began more than half a century ago with the groundbreaking invention of Ivan Sutherland. In 1968, Sutherland, often hailed as the “father of computer graphics,” introduced what would later be recognized as the first head-mounted display (HMD). The contraption was so heavy and unwieldy that it had to be suspended from the ceiling by mechanical arms, earning it the dramatic nickname the “Sword of Damocles.” This pioneering device projected wireframe graphics into the user’s field of vision, creating a rudimentary overlay of digital content onto the real world. 

Though primitive by modern standards, its introduction marked a defining moment in computing history by demonstrating the feasibility of blending computer-generated imagery with human perception. Despite its bulk and limited functionality, the Sword of Damocles laid the essential conceptual foundation for virtual and augmented reality systems that continue to shape technology today.

Fast forward more than four decades to 2012, when Google reignited public interest in wearable computing with the dramatic unveiling of “Project Glass” at the annual Google I/O conference. The demonstration, featuring skydivers livestreaming their descent while wearing the device, captivated global audiences and signaled a future in which technology would become seamlessly integrated into daily life. By 2013, the company introduced the “Explorer Edition” of Google Glass, priced at $1,500 and offered exclusively to early adopters, developers, and influencers. This marked one of the first serious commercial attempts to bring AR glasses to market. However, excitement was tempered by practical realities. 

When Google attempted a broader release in April 2014, enthusiasm gave way to skepticism. Critics cited the steep cost, short battery life, awkward design, and especially the device’s camera, which raised privacy concerns in public spaces. By early 2015, Google halted the consumer version, shifting the focus of Glass to enterprise applications. Despite its shortcomings, Google Glass introduced the mainstream to the idea of wearable displays and left a lasting cultural impact by forcing society to grapple with the social, ethical, and technological challenges of ubiquitous computing.

While Google Glass stumbled, its introduction opened the floodgates for a wave of innovation in the AR space during the mid-2010s. Microsoft made headlines in 2015 with the launch of HoloLens, a groundbreaking headset that did not simply overlay text or notifications but introduced immersive holographic experiences mapped onto real environments. Leveraging advanced sensors, depth cameras, and spatial computing, HoloLens redefined what AR could be by demonstrating how 3D digital objects could be seamlessly integrated into physical space. 

Meanwhile, Magic Leap, a startup shrouded in secrecy and hype, teased revolutionary optical technologies that promised to reinvent visual computing. By 2018, the Magic Leap One headset was released, offering a lighter and more futuristic design with gesture-based controls and immersive interaction capabilities. Although primarily aimed at developers and enterprise solutions rather than consumers, these devices marked a turning point for the industry. They helped shift the conversation from “smart glasses” as simply miniature displays to full-fledged spatial computers, capable of fundamentally transforming work, entertainment, and education by merging the digital and physical in new ways.

In 2021, Meta (then still Facebook) attempted a more subtle approach with the launch of Ray-Ban Stories, created in collaboration with the iconic eyewear brand. Unlike bulkier AR headsets, these glasses prioritized fashion and familiarity, offering consumers a stylish pair of frames equipped with smart functionality. Instead of projecting augmented visuals, Ray-Ban Stories integrated dual cameras, microphones, speakers, and touch controls, allowing wearers to discreetly take photos, record video, make calls, and listen to audio directly through their glasses. 

While some dismissed them as little more than a wearable camera, their release was significant for what it revealed about consumer behavior: people were willing to adopt smart eyewear that looked like traditional glasses, as long as it offered convenience without feeling intrusive. Importantly, Ray-Ban Stories demonstrated the role of lifestyle branding in driving wearable adoption. Even though they lacked the immersive AR features of HoloLens or Magic Leap, these glasses represented an incremental step toward mainstream acceptance of smart eyewear and showed how fashion-forward design could help overcome the social barriers that plagued Google Glass.

After years of absence from the consumer AR stage, Google made a dramatic return at its May 2024 I/O developer conference, unveiling its Android XR platform for smart glasses and headsets. Unlike the limited experiment of Google Glass, Android XR is designed as an open ecosystem built to scale, with Google partnering with eyewear designers such as Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to ensure style and comfort were as central to the product as functionality. Early prototypes showcased features such as real-time AI-powered translation, navigation overlays, messaging, and contextual voice assistance, all powered by Google Gemini. 

By anchoring Android XR to a broad ecosystem rather than a single product, Google is positioning the platform as the connective tissue between digital and physical worlds, similar to how Android transformed smartphones into a global standard. The company’s strategy highlights a major evolution in thinking: instead of releasing a flashy, experimental device, it is now building the infrastructure for a sustainable wearable computing future. This shift suggests that Google has learned from the cultural missteps of Glass and is now working to blend utility, discretion, and mass-market appeal in its vision for augmented reality.

Forward-looking: Samsung's upcoming XR headset and smart glasses mark a push into the extended reality space, where Apple's Vision Pro and Meta's smart glasses reside with very moderate success. Both devices would run on Android XR OS, a platform built by Google and Qualcomm, and be powered by the latest Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chip. The headset is expected to arrive with top specs, including micro-OLED displays, a 90Hz refresh rate, and up to 1,000 nits of brightness. - TechSpot

The most recent milestone in the smart glasses timeline belongs to Rokid, a Chinese AR innovator that officially launched its latest Rokid Glasses during a global event in New York City on August 27, 2025. At only 49 grams, these glasses are currently the world’s lightest full-function AR and AI eyewear, an engineering achievement that signals how far the industry has come since the days of Google Glass. 

What sets Rokid apart is its ability to combine high-performance hardware with an accessible price point of roughly $345, making it significantly more attainable than earlier devices. Powered by Qualcomm’s AR1 platform, the glasses feature real-time translation, an AI assistant, voice commands, a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, and a binocular AR display that allows digital overlays to appear naturally within a user’s line of sight. They also offer dual directional speakers, a four-microphone array with AI noise cancellation, and the option for custom prescription lenses via magnetic snap-on modules. By combining functionality, affordability, and style, Rokid Glasses have the potential to move AR eyewear from niche gadgetry to everyday essential, marking a possible tipping point for mainstream adoption. The early response has been strong, with Rokid surpassing $1 million in Kickstarter funding within days, reflecting genuine consumer enthusiasm for the product.