Meta's new glasses introduce wristband control. What is the ideal interaction mode for smart glasses?

Meta is about to make another big move in the smart glasses industry.

According to a report from CNBC, Meta plans to unveil its smart glasses codenamed Hypernova at the Connect conference in September, with a potential price tag of around $800.

Different from Meta's previous smart glasses co - developed with Ray - Ban, Hypernova features small - sized displays built into its lenses, allowing users to view messages and images with their right eye. In terms of interaction, Hypernova is also equipped with an sEMG gesture wristband for controlling the glasses.

Image source: Meta

I've been using smart glasses for a while. Based on my experience and Meta's promotion, compared to relying solely on voice commands or swiping on the temple of the glasses, this new "wristband + glasses" combination does bring some novelty.

However, a question arises: Does a pair of smart glasses really need an additional wristband?

What are the problems with smart glasses' interaction?

In fact, using dedicated peripherals to complement interaction is a necessary measure in the current smart glasses industry. If the interaction methods of the glasses themselves were mature enough, manufacturers wouldn't need to design additional accessories like rings and wristbands. From the perspective of the industry's current situation and the development law of the "interaction" discipline, exploring the interaction methods of smart glasses inevitably involves a process of continuous trial and error.

Looking back at the development of smart glasses, the initially highly - anticipated solution was voice control. After all, for a device "away from the user's wrist", voice is undoubtedly one of the most natural interaction methods. Google Glass, the pioneer of consumer - grade smart glasses that was once highly expected worldwide but ended up in failure, also promoted voice interaction as its selling point back then.

Image source: Google

However, the problems with voice interaction soon became apparent.

Firstly, compared to other interaction methods, voice is the most noticeable one to the outside world. In a subway, an office, or even a quiet coffee shop, you wouldn't feel comfortable talking to yourself in the air. Not to mention the impact of a noisy environment on the accuracy of voice recognition. We still remember the scene when Luo Yonghao demonstrated the "summation" function of TNT. We can't expect people in a subway car to "be quiet because I'm using my smart glasses".

Secondly, voice control struggles with complex operations. Voice is suitable for simple commands within 5 seconds, such as "take a photo", "record a video", "record audio", and "call XXX". But using voice to control menu switching or search for information in the notification list is extremely inefficient.

Of course, mainstream glasses brands also offer "gesture interaction" as an alternative. Brands usually set up a touchpad on the outside of the right temple, allowing users to perform operations through actions like "tapping" and "swiping".

Image source: Lei Technology

However, practice has proven that this touch - based method also has many problems: The space on the temple is limited. The touch area can't be too large, the interaction actions must be highly simplified, and the number of achievable operations is limited. The gestures are just combinations of single - finger, double - finger, swiping, single - double clicking, and long - pressing. Answering a call and adjusting the volume are already the limits of touch interaction. For setting navigation to an unfamiliar address, voice interaction is still needed.

Secondly, the characteristics of touch operations on glasses make it impossible to achieve precise control. The reason why Xingji Meizu's StarV Air2 AR smart glasses are equipped with a "pressing dial" is to solve the problem of difficult precise control in smart glasses.

Image source: Lei Technology

However, no matter how precise the touch (or dial) operations on smart glasses are, they can't solve the biggest problem in the interaction of smart glasses - the awkwardness of "fiddling with the glasses".

Like smart watches, smart glasses are smart hardware that "integrates into daily life". But in daily life, no one will constantly "fiddle" with the temples of their glasses. We choose smart glasses to make technology "invisible", with smart products existing as naturally as ordinary glasses. However, the high - frequency "temple interaction" caused by inefficiency naturally destroys the "invisibility" of smart glasses.

Even if users can tolerate it themselves, in scenarios like meetings, frequently fiddling with glasses will inevitably attract others' attention and cause annoyance. Not to mention the "teleprompter" function of display - type smart glasses. Have you ever seen someone "fiddle" with their glasses while giving a speech?

Therefore, in the view of Lei Technology, both voice and touch interaction methods face inherent bottlenecks in actual use, providing an opportunity for the "glasses + peripheral" combination solution.

What is the "best partner" for smart glasses?

Based on the current trends of leading products in the industry, the "smart ring" is obviously the most practical "interaction peripheral" solution at present. Compared to smart watches, smart rings are more lightweight, more discreet, and easier to form a "one - to - one" match with glasses.

From a technical perspective, the ring is also the most "versatile" solution at present. It seems that "ring control" is just like rolling the "touch strip" on the outside of the glasses onto the user's finger. But in fact, as an independent hardware, the ring solution has a more flexible technical route and can even replace the "capacitive touch" of glasses with a traditional double - layer structure.

Image source: Xingji Meizu

Moreover, the natural discretion of the ring solution is more in line with the "invisible" characteristic of smart glasses. For example, during a company meeting, you can control the page - turning of a novel in your glasses by "rubbing" your finger with your thumb. Isn't that convenient?

In terms of products, the "ring solution" is also the interaction solution favored by domestic brands. Xingji Meizu and Rokid have both introduced their own ring controllers. It's certain that as the hardware solutions mature, more and more smart hardware will adopt the smart ring solution in the future.

As for the wristband solution chosen by Meta, it takes a different technical approach. By using sEMG technology, the wristband can capture the electrical signals of the user's forearm muscles and convert them into gesture - level commands, enabling more precise and lower - latency operations than temple touch.

However, the problem is that the wristband itself is too "conspicuous" in terms of appearance and experience. The selling point of smart glasses should be "lightweight and invisible". But adding a wristband to the glasses seems too deliberate. Ultimately, the wristband is more like an external hardware rather than a daily accessory that can be "linked with the glasses". From this perspective, the wristband solution may attract some early adopters when it is launched, but its long - term value remains questionable.

Image source: Apple

In the long run, the linked control between smart glasses and smart watches is a more logical long - term solution. Smart watches are already a mature interaction center. They have a screen, a knob, touch functions, and even a voice microphone and health sensors. After being connected with glasses, this "glasses - phone - watch" combination can form a "three - layer division of labor" operation system:

1. Complex interactions such as ordering takeout, hailing a taxi, and text input are handled by the phone;

2. Moderate interactions such as setting navigation, quick replies, payment confirmation, and menu control of the glasses are handled by the watch;

3. Light - input and display interactions such as message notifications, map navigation, and answering calls are handled by the glasses.

This division - of - labor model can maximize the advantages of various devices and avoid the bloated idea of "unifying everything with the glasses". More importantly, the social acceptance of watches is much higher than that of wristbands, and their interaction methods are more diverse than those of rings. From the perspective of market popularization, the "watch + glasses" combination obviously has more potential for promotion.

Of course, Lei Technology doesn't mean that rings and wristbands have no value at all. The lightness and discretion of rings are suitable for users who pursue minimalist interaction; the high - precision electromyographic recognition of wristbands can also be used in specific vertical scenarios. But smart glasses are ultimately aimed at the mass market, and user acceptance is the top priority for the promotion of smart glasses.

Are smart glasses "crossing the river by feeling the stones of VR"?

In the view of Lei Technology, the direction of smart glasses in recent years seems to have been influenced by the popularity of AR and VR devices. Many manufacturers habitually push glasses - type products towards the "immersive" direction, resulting in either increased weight or a sudden rise in interaction complexity. Eventually, they move further away from "daily wear".

The problem is that the logic of smart glasses is completely different from that of VR headsets. The former aims for "invisibility", while the latter aims for "immersion". If we continue to copy the interaction concept of VR and treat smart glasses as small - sized headsets, relying on "large and precise" controllers like wristbands to support smart glasses, we will only hit a dead end again.

In the view of Lei Technology, real smart glasses must solve the complete closed - loop of "input + output". The display solves the problem of "seeing", but how to "operate" it more naturally is the key for smart glasses to enter the mainstream consumer market. Whether it's the ring or the watch, these solutions have their own advantages and disadvantages, but they conform to daily habits and are more easily accepted by the public.

This competition for the dominance of interaction methods also means that the smart glasses industry has completed the first - stage "route competition". The three major camps of audio glasses, shooting glasses, and display glasses have basically taken shape. Against the backdrop of homogenized core hardware solutions, smart glasses must engage in a new round of "competition" to seize the market. And interaction methods are undoubtedly the next "battlefield" for the smart glasses category.

After all, for smart glasses, whether they can enter people's daily lives never depends on the specification sheet, but only on whether users are willing to wear them every day.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Smart Pro". Author: Tian Xing. Republished by 36Kr with permission.