Chinese search engine Baidu is launching a wearable headset very similar to Google Glass that they are calling Baidu Eye. The company showed off the new device, which was first rumored to be in development in April 2013, at its annual showcase event, Baidu World (Chinese language page) in Beijing.
The device does not feature a screen, and instead just beams information to a user’s smartphone. Baidu’s director of International Communication Kaiser Kuo shared the following at a media event:
Basically, Baidu Eye allows the user to analyze images and provide information or services related to your current field of vision or a specific item. You can use voice commands, or gesture commands (like expanding to zoom, or circling an object in your field of view with your finger). You can identify plants, or find products (so far, handbags and articles of clothing) on e-commerce sites. The use case scenarios for now are limited, but we’ve got an enormous data set of clothes, bags, and flora right now.
Prior to revealing the Baidu Eye, Baidu CEO Robin Li, announced that expected voice and image search to surpass text search within 5 years, and some Chinese search users already conduct as many as 500 voice searches per day.
The device is still in development and while no pricing or release dates have been announced, they do eventually plan on releasing it to customers.
