Baidu Eye

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Baidu Eye
BaiduEye 1.jpg
Category smartglasses
Developer Baidu, Inc.
Announced April 2013[1]
Released Developers:
Consumers:
Price USD (2015)
Operating system
Display none
Resolution pixels
Weight g
Controls smartphone, gestural, voice[2]
Not standalone[3]
http://baidueye.baidu.com/

In April 2013, China’s search engine giant Baidu confirmed the internal testing of an ocular wearable prototype and evaluating its market potential.[4][5] The image that first leaked on Chinese tech websites[6] shows a Glass-like prototype.

Further development of the device resulted in something functionally quite different than Google Glass. The working prototype of Baidu Eye, which was first presented at Baidu World conference in Beijing in September 2014, is an augmented camera collecting information from its surrounding. The headset wraps around the back of the head and rests on top of wearer’s ears. The left arm has an earpiece and the camera is housed in the right arm. It can take photos, recognize objects, analyse information around it, and then send it to a smartphone via an app that displays that information.[7][8]

Main characteristics

Allegedly, it featured an LCD display, voice control, image recognition, and bone conduction audio.[9] The device supports voice and gesture control and connects to the internet via WiFi or mobile hotspot. Baidu Director of International Communications Kaiser Kuo explained that the use case scenarios are still limited to identifying plants and finding products on e-commerce sites, but Baidu plans to expand the functions of the device by integrating it with social networks, gaming, answering calls, taking photos and videos, and other hands-free activities.[10]

Purpose

Lifestyle, shopping; object recognition, search, and analysis;

Rear view on BaiduEye
Rear view on BaiduEye.

Company & People

Baidu is a Chinese web services company, founded on January 18, 2000. Its headquarters are in Beijing, China.

  • Board of Directors: Robin Li, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO; Greg Penner, Director; James Ding, Director; William Decker, Chairman of the Audit Committee; Nobuyuki Idei, Director; Dejian Liu, Director.
  • Management: Robin Li, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO; Jennifer Li, Chief Financial Officer; Ya-Qin Zhang, President; Jing Wang, Senior Vice President; Hailong Xiang, Senior Vice President; Zhan Wang, Vice President; Guang Zhu, Vice President; Li Liu, Vice President of HR and Administration; Victor Liang, Vice President and General Counsel; Executive Assistant to CEO; Mingyuan Li, Vice President.[11]

Important Dates

  • First announced in April 2013.
  • First demonstrated at Baidu World showcase event in Beijing on 3rd September 2014.
  • Release date: unknown.

Ethical Issues

Health Risks

Enhancement/Therapy/Treatment

A woman with BaiduEye on.
A woman with BaiduEye on.

Public & Media Impact and Presentation

The information on Baidu Eye as a Google Glass competitor was first published in Sina Tech on April 1, 2013. The information flooded the net as an April 1 prank, but due to inaccurate information that Baidu is partnering with Qualcomm to develop a long-lasting battery for Baidu Eye, the Baidu officials publicly announces that there is no such collaboration, but that the information on the company’s internal project of developing a smart wearable device was true. However, the device may or may not become available on the market. When the first working prototype was presented in September 2014, reports and reviews followed, mostly pointing out Baidu's different approach towards wearables (in terms of not including the visual display) and the early development stage of Baidu Eye. Since then, there were no further updates about the device, its upgrades or its release date.

Public Policy

Related Scientific Research

References

  1. LI, Anita. Baidu Eye Is China's Answer to Google Glass, Company Confirms. Mashable [online]. 2013, April 3. Available online at: http://mashable.com/2013/04/03/baidu-eye-google-glass-china/ (Retrieved 19 August 2015)
  2. TRUONG, Alice. China's Answer To Google Glass: Baidu Eye. Fast Company [online]. 2014, September 3. Available online at: https://www.fastcompany.com/3035196/fast-feed/chinas-answer-to-google-glass-baidu-eye (Retrieved 19 August 2015)
  3. Shows if the device is a standalone wearable computer or if it needs to be connected to a processing unit (computer, smartphone) to function.
  4. LI, Anita. Baidu Eye Is China's Answer to Google Glass, Company Confirms. Mashable [online]. 2013, Apr 03. http://mashable.com/2013/04/03/baidu-eye-google-glass-china/ (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)
  5. SOLOMON, Kate. Google Glass competitor Baidu Eye confirmed but might not make it to the shops. TechRadar [online]. 2013, Apr 03. http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/google-glass-competitor-baidu-eye-confirmed-but-might-not-make-it-to-the-shops-1142188 (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)
  6. 百度内测首个穿戴式设备Baidu Eye [online] 2013. http://tech.sina.com.cn/i/2013-04-01/20238201671.shtml (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)
  7. LI, Anita. Take a Look at Baidu Eye, China's Version of Google Glass. Mashable [online]. 2014, Sep 04. http://mashable.com/2014/09/03/baidu-eye-first-look/ (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)
  8. MILLWARD, Steven. Here’s Baidu Eye, the Google Glass rival from China’s top search engine. Tech In Asia [online]. 2014, Sep 03. https://www.techinasia.com/baidu-eye-photo-working-prototype-revealed/ (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)
  9. LAI, Richard. Baidu Eye is no joke, aims to be a Google Glass competitor. Engadget [online]. 2013, Apr 03. http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/03/baidu-eye-google-glass/ (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)
  10. RUSSELL, Jon. Baidu shows off Eye, its Google Glass-like wearable that doesn’t have a screen. TNW News [online]. 2014, Sep 03. http://thenextweb.com/asia/2014/09/03/baidu-eye/ (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)
  11. The Baidu Story. Q2 2015 Baidu Inc Earnings Conference Call. Baidu. Inc. [online] 2015. http://ir.baidu.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=188488&p=irol-homeprofile (Retrieved Jul 21, 2015)