In an era when fashion, retail, health, wellness, and even fintech are blurring, Singaporean startup Brilliant Labs is breaking new ground with its cutting-edge wearable tech glasses.
They have developed two groundbreaking AI-powered tech marvels known as ‘Monocle’ and ‘Frame’. Both devices are designed to give you a multitude of “AI superpowers.”
Creative minds Bobak Tavangar, an ex-Apple employee, along with co-founders Raj Nakarja and Benjamin Heald, have designed them as a leap into the future of wearable technology.
Harnessing the power of generative AI
Brilliant Labs believes that generative AI is a key enabler to making smart glasses a ubiquitous accessory, offering you a more practical and purposeful user experience.
Monocle, their flagship product, is an AR device with a ChatGPT extension embedded, designed to be clipped onto eyewear. It enables you to have smooth conversations and receive instant written responses on the AR screen.
This AR device is priced competitively at USD 299 and features a 720p camera, microphone, touch sensors, and display. When it was launched in early 2023, it quickly gained viral buzz, with AI researcher Bryan Chiang demonstrating how it assisted in a simulated job interview.
Introducing the Frame smart glasses
Brilliant Labs seized the spotlight once again with its 2024 release, the game-changing Frame smart glasses.
These sleek glasses seamlessly blend style with functionality, merging wearable tech with the sophistication of generative AI.
With the Frame glasses, you will enjoy quick responses to voice commands and photos, projecting visuals through the lenses to assist you in managing everyday tasks. It is now available for pre-order in black, grey, or clear. The price starts at USD 349 and is set to ship on 15th April 2024.
Openness and Hackability
Notably, Brilliant Labs encourages openness and hackability. The team invites developers and enthusiasts to explore its potential. Raj Nakaraja, the Head of Engineering at Brilliant Labs, emphasises the importance of an open-source approach to prevent monopolisation. He draws this from past incidents where promising AR technologies were acquired and discontinued.
Brilliant Labs’ journey and generative AI
With over USD 1.7 billion invested in generative AI solutions since 2020, Brilliant Labs strategically navigated the entrepreneurial landscape, securing investments from reputable sources. In June 2023, they raised USD 3 million in seed funding with investments from:
- Brendan Iribe, co-founder of Oculus
- Adam Cheyer, co-founder of Siri
- Eric Migicovsky, founder of Pebble
- Steve Sarowitz, among others.
Their latest investment was from John Hanke, the CEO of Niantic, known for Pokémon GO, bringing Brilliant Labs total financing to USD 6 million.
The future of generative AI
Generative AI is revolutionising multiple sectors today, including sales, marketing, research and development, customer operations, and software engineering. Research firm Gartner1 predicts:
- By 2025, 30% of outbound marketing messages from larger firms will be synthetically generated, up from less than 2% in 2022.
- By 2030, a major blockbuster film will feature 90% of AI-generated content (from text to video), up from 0% in 2022.
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In the Southeast Asian region, the latest study by Adobe2 indicates a growing interest in the use of generative AI. 56% of respondents in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are planning to integrate generative AI into their business operations. Brilliant Labs stands as a beacon of innovation and a testament to the power of generative AI.
As technology and humanity continue to converge, we invite you to pitch your ideas on the Pitch Tuesday platform. The Pitch Tuesday platform is a 30-minute session via Google Meets, offering potential investment opportunities and more. Connect with us via Pitch Tuesday below:
- Beyond ChatGPT: The Future of Generative AI For Enterprises, https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/beyond-chatgpt-the-future-of-generative-ai-for-enterprises ↩︎
- Adobe: The State of Digital Customer Experience Report, https://business.adobe.com/blog/the-latest/the-state-of-digital-customer-experience-report, ↩︎
