The AI glasses market has welcomed an 81-year-old "entrepreneur".
Text | Tian Zhe
Editor | Su Jianxun
When you passionately sketch out a brand - new entrepreneurial blueprint and then suddenly look back, you'll find that the business partners who once fought side by side have retreated to the background, and the faces in the meeting room are all young ones. This is exactly the reality that 81 - year - old Fan Qinqiang is facing.
Among the prominent figures who founded their enterprises in the same year as him, such as Liu Chuanzhi of Lenovo, Bill Gates of Microsoft, and Irwin Jacobs of Qualcomm, have all retired. Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, who is still at the forefront of creation, has become one of the very few "long - serving" founders who shine in the distance with him.
At 81, according to the WHO's standard definition, he is already an "elderly person", but Fan Qinqiang refuses to admit his age and rarely admits defeat.
In the past forty years, Fan Qinqiang has been deeply involved in the R & D of technologies such as micro - displays. In 1985, after finishing his scientific research work at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Fan Qinqiang started his first business in life and founded Gaoping Company, a micro - display supplier.
In the atmosphere of American universities that advocated scientific research at that time, Fan Qinqiang, who was of Chinese descent, was in the minority when he chose to start a business. There were also discrimination and prejudice against the Chinese in American society. Amidst a chorus of doubts, Gaoping Company went public on the NASDAQ seven years later, and its market value once rivaled that of Qualcomm.
Almost every mobile phone has applied Fan Qinqiang's inventions.
He holds more than 100 patents and has a huge impact on modern technology. For example, HBT (Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor) and the application of semiconductor technology to image display. The former makes mobile phones smaller, and communication tools no longer rely on antennas; the latter lays the foundation for the development of Micro OLED and Micro LED displays.
With his outstanding contributions in innovation and entrepreneurship in electronic materials and display devices, in 2020, Fan Qinqiang was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering of the United States, along with Fei - Fei Li, Zhonghan Deng and others. This is one of the highest professional honors for engineers in the United States.
In recent years, Fan Qinqiang has begun to pay frequent attention to AI. In his view, although AI research started thirty years ago, it was interrupted several times due to technological limitations. A series of events such as AlphaGo defeating human chess players in 2017 made him realize that the development of AI technology was no longer the same as before, and it also ignited an entrepreneurial spark in his heart.
In 2019, before retiring from Gaoping Technology Company, Fan Qinqiang founded the smart glasses company "Solos" in the Hong Kong Science Park and started his second business in life.
The reason for choosing smart glasses is that Fan Qinqiang believes that humans have fully adapted to wearing glasses, and glasses with AI can provide convenience for everyone's life. More importantly, his more than 100 patents can be used for Solos glasses.
Different from other smart glasses, the smart glasses that Fan Qinqiang wants to create are more like ordinary glasses rather than electronic products. In the Solos Hong Kong office, the display cabinet is filled with dozens of smart glasses of different shapes and colors, just like products on a shelf, waiting to be selected.
Partial product display of Solos Source: Company authorization
When you put on Solos smart glasses, you may be surprised. Different from the common smart glasses on the market, Solos uses traditional optical lenses, and no images or texts will be displayed on the lenses. Although there is also a camera in the frame, all intelligent components are hidden in the temples, and music, sports data, etc. are transmitted through the temple speakers.
Fan Qinqiang explained that this is what he considers to be user - friendly. The meaning of smart glasses does not lie in presenting more functions, but in providing intelligent services to users without disturbing them as much as possible.
Fan Qinqiang summarized that a series of his past inventions basically follow the same concept of making products more user - friendly.
Like the early display technology, such as the cathode - ray tube (CRT), whether it was a large - screen or a small - screen, basically used the same concept: an electron stream formed an image through a vacuum glass tube. This technology was not only power - consuming but also bulky and very inconvenient. However, the application of semiconductor technology to image display made it possible to have smaller screens and more energy - efficient devices.
Adhering to this design concept, in the summer of 2016, Gaoping Technology launched a crowdfunding page for the first - generation AR glasses of Solos on Kickstarter. This smart device designed for cycling enthusiasts, with its fashionable pilot - style frame and the function of real - time tracking of speed and heart rate, finally attracted more than $120,000 in support.
The first - generation AR glasses of Solos Source: Company authorization
Putting aside the halo bestowed by the outside world, in life, Fan Qinqiang is more like an ordinary old man. One of his colleagues mentioned that once he met Fan Qinqiang downstairs of the company. He was simply dressed, carrying a canvas bag and waiting for the bus. He said with a smile that he planned to go shopping in Central.
Now, Fan Qinqiang has taken a new step in his entrepreneurial journey without waiting.
Recently, "Intelligent Emergence" had a conversation with Fan Qinqiang, the Executive Chairman of Solos. The following content is edited:
Create consumer products, not electronic products
"Intelligent Emergence": You started your first business in 1985, and the company is still in operation. Can you share the story of your first business?
Fan Qinqiang: My first business dates back to 1985. At that time, I was focused on the research of semiconductor materials at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, exploring how to combine different semiconductor materials. The technological means were limited at that time, and the traditional methods of connecting materials had great limitations. However, we achieved the connection of different semiconductors through an innovative method, and this technology was globally leading at that time.
As the research progressed, investors suggested that we establish a company to explore more applications of material combinations, and thus Gaoping Technology was born. Later, we established several other semiconductor companies to support the R & D of Gaoping's technology. Now, Gaoping holds more than 100 global patents, and there are our semiconductor products or technologies in every mobile phone and every display.
"Intelligent Emergence": Why did you enter the smart glasses market for your second business?
Fan Qinqiang: We believe that the next product that can be widely used like mobile phones must be a wearable device, and smart glasses are exactly the best carrier. After all, wearing glasses has become a part of people's daily lives, and smart glasses not only have a sense of technology but also allow users to integrate into the information age more naturally.
Although AI technology has developed rapidly in recent years, in fact, MIT started researching AI 30 years ago. There was a wave of AI enthusiasm at that time, but due to immature technological conditions, it did not develop as vigorously as it does today.
"Intelligent Emergence": Why did you choose the current design direction for smart glasses?
Fan Qinqiang: In 2012, Gaoping participated in the R & D of the second - generation Google Glass. Although its technology was advanced, allowing users to listen to music and take photos, its sales volume was only more than 200,000 pairs, far lower than Google's expectations. In fact, the reason for the failure of this pair of glasses was very simple - it was too heavy, uncomfortable to wear, and had a poor user experience.
The experience I summarized is that the weight of smart glasses must be controlled within 50 grams; otherwise, the wearing experience will be greatly affected. Ultimately, whether users are willing to wear this pair of glasses and use it in daily life is the key to its success.
"Intelligent Emergence": What unique design ideas do you have in the R & D of smart glasses?
Fan Qinqiang: We have a set of "Fan's Five Principles" for smart glasses.
First, the appearance of the glasses must be the same as that of ordinary glasses, so as not to make users feel out of place.
Second, when users use smart glasses, they must clearly distinguish between the virtual and real worlds. Therefore, Solos smart glasses are only equipped with traditional lenses, without projection or other elements that interfere with the line of sight.
Third, balancing the amount of information is crucial. Our glasses are connected to the mobile phone App, and information is provided through the speakers on the temples. It can also play music, use voice assistants, etc. We ensure that the transmission of this information does not interfere with the user's use.
Fourth, polish the voice function. Humans can already perform other tasks while making a phone call or listening to music. Voice announcements should be more private, and the accuracy of voice recognition should be improved.
Finally, our goal is to let users feel real benefits, rather than just having another electronic device.
"Intelligent Emergence": Solos' smart glasses currently do not have the function of recording videos, which is different from smart glasses of other brands. Why did you make such a decision?
Fan Qinqiang: We believe that AI is the core function of smart glasses. Although Solos glasses do not have a video - recording function, through the camera on the glasses, AI can still perform object recognition and provide useful assistance. We focus on streamlining functions and giving full play to the core value, rather than simply following the market trend.
"Intelligent Emergence": The video - recording function may not be a must - have for users, but the navigation function has a greater impact on the user experience of smart glasses. Why did Solos also reduce it appropriately?
Fan Qinqiang: Many domestic technological directions have misunderstandings. They think that adding more information input or screens can make the brain "more powerful". But in fact, too much visual information will increase the brain's burden and is not conducive to people's cognitive improvement. Real AI should help the brain reduce the burden, rather than creating information overload.
For example, when driving, if multiple screens are added for display, it will not only not improve efficiency but may also distract attention and increase risks. Real intelligence should understand the user's needs and provide simple and accurate assistance, rather than making the brain bear more information through hardware addition.
"Intelligent Emergence": Are there any other differences?
Fan Qinqiang: We realized that everyone's facial structure is different, with different inter - pupillary distances and head shapes. Therefore, we have developed glasses in various sizes and styles to meet the needs of different users.
Our core technology is very important, which enables the glasses to be connected to electronic devices. Specifically, the frame part is mainly a traditional glasses frame and lenses, and the temples contain electronic components, batteries, and chips.
"Intelligent Emergence": What do you think are the deficiencies of Solos' smart glasses now?
Fan Qinqiang: The company has been reducing the weight of smart glasses in the past six years. Now the total weight of Solos smart glasses is 34 grams, and we hope to reduce it to more than 20 grams. In addition, we also want to lower the volume of the speakers. However, the product already meets the conditions for sales at home and abroad.
"Intelligent Emergence": Solos wants to create useful smart glasses. Can you list a function that you think is useful?
Fan Qinqiang: An example is that after AI obtains surrounding information, it can prompt users about the surrounding situation.
We have done a lot of experiments in the audio laboratory. In the future, our device will be able to process a wider frequency range, far beyond what your ears can hear. For example, if a dog runs past you, you may not hear the low - frequency or high - frequency sounds it makes. But if you wear our device, it can capture these frequencies and remind you, such as "There is a dog coming from behind" or "There is a car approaching from behind". In this way, you can detect the surrounding environment in time and avoid missing important sound signals.
In addition, as we age or our hearing declines, our ears may not be able to capture certain high - and low - frequency audio. However, this AI - enabled glasses can help you make up for these hearing losses through technology. You no longer need to wear a hearing aid separately, and the glasses can help the brain supplement the lost hearing information.
"Intelligent Emergence": It seems that hearing aids will be replaced by smart glasses in the future?
Fan Qinqiang: Perhaps this situation will occur in 3 - 5 years.
Expand the Chinese market this year and are in contact with partners
"Intelligent Emergence": When you worked at Gaoping, you always provided services to customers as a supply - chain company. Now you are developing smart glasses for ordinary users. How do you plan to promote and market the products?
Fan Qinqiang: We are always a technology - driven company, focusing on the innovation of the product itself. Therefore, we prefer to promote Solos smart glasses through global partners. We are responsible for product R & D, while partners are responsible for sales and market promotion.
"Intelligent Emergence": Which companies has Solos communicated and cooperated with now?
Fan Qinqiang: Currently, we have established multiple partnerships in regions such as the United States, Hong Kong, and Japan. This year, we plan to expand Solos to the domestic market and have had preliminary communications with some chain eyewear companies, AI companies, and agents.
"Intelligent Emergence": What will the form of this cooperation be like?
Fan Qinqiang: During the R & D process of smart glasses, we cooperated with eyewear manufacturers and put them in the primary position of the project. This not only ensures that product R & D can keep up with market demand but also helps us integrate sales channels before the product is launched, achieving smoother market promotion.
"Intelligent Emergence": If Solos enters the Chinese market, how will it be priced?
Fan Qinqiang: In the United States and Hong Kong, the price of Solos smart glasses is about 20% - 30% higher than that of ordinary glasses. We expect to adopt a similar pricing strategy in the domestic market.
"Intelligent Emergence": Currently, the domestic smart glasses market has witnessed a "battle of a hundred glasses". As a new entrant, how can Solos stand out in this highly competitive market?
Fan Qinqiang: Nowadays, many companies have entered the smart glasses field. It seems that the threshold is low, as they only need to buy off - the - shelf equipment, disassemble it, and imitate the production. China's hardware capabilities are indeed strong, but there is a lack of in - depth technological accumulation and industry understanding, and it may not be possible to achieve large - scale and strong competition in the short term.
Although many companies in the market launch products through rapid replication, this approach cannot guarantee the depth and continuous development of technology. Many companies rely on just a few engineers to develop products in just a few months, and they can even raise funds and launch a product with only a few million RMB. For Solos, such "copies" are not scary because they lack innovation and long - term technological precipitation.
In the high - tech field, what really matters is the depth of technology. For example, audio technology is very crucial, especially in devices like smart glasses. If the audio quality is poor, the user experience will be greatly reduced.
Solos has a unique technology called "Whisper", which can ensure that users can hear clear voices without