A passenger tries out Rokid AR glasses on a Hainan Airlines flight in China.
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BEIJING – Hainan Airlines This week it began offering passengers free use of Rokid’s augmented reality glasses for in-flight entertainment on some routes, the tech startup announced Thursday.
Chinese start-up Rokid claimed it was the first time AR glasses – which allow computer-generated images to be overlaid on the real world – will be used on flights on a large scale. Passengers can use the glasses to watch 3D movies, read e-books and play simple games instead of doing so on a built-in monitor.
Apple’s Vision Pro virtual reality headset, which is not yet available in China, features a motion-stabilizing “travel mode” for use on airplanes. The device allows wearers to see the real world using technology the company calls “spatial computing.”
Rokid’s deal with Hainan Airlines is more of a marketing effort to increase consumer awareness of AR glasses rather than a major commercial deal, the startup’s founder and CEO Misa Zhu said in a telephone interview with CNBC on Wednesday.
He claimed Rokid was in discussions “with many airlines” about similar partnerships, including at least one major international operator. Zhu said he was not authorized to reveal details but expected further announcements in the next few months.
Hainan Airlines is one of the largest airline operators in China and also offers international routes. The company released a short video to promote its collaboration with Rokid.
Zhu said the airline purchased hundreds of Rokid AR glasses that passengers could use for free on more than 20 flights. Each pair costs just over 3,000 yuan ($420) and weighs 75 grams.
For comparison: Apple’s Vision Pro costs around $3,500 and weighs 600 to 650 grams.
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Hainan Airlines tested Rokid’s AR glasses for the first time on a commercial flight from Shenzhen to Xi’an on Wednesday and will roll out the devices on many other flights starting Thursday, Rokid said.
The first phase of testing is scheduled to last a month, coinciding with China’s week-long Lunar New Year holiday, which officially begins on Saturday and will see hundreds of millions of locals traveling domestically.
“The airlines are pretty excited because they can offer more services and it’s very competitive,” Zhu said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC.
He said Rokid is in talks to integrate AR glasses into other modes of transport such as high-speed trains.
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2024-02-08 04:03:14
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