Physical AI Augments Human Perception, Transforming Smart Glasses into Action Partners
Smart glasses empowered by AI are on the verge of revolutionizing interaction with the real world. In 2026, TDK launched TDK AIsight, a new business division dedicated to delivering real-world user experiences through AI-powered smart glasses. While generative AI on PCs and smartphones is already transforming everyday life, TDK is now poised to take that interaction to a new level with intelligent eyewear—enabling AI to become an intuitive partner that understands the world as we perceive it and interact with it. This degree of natural interaction with the world is what TDK AIsight is effectuating, transcending what traditional computing platforms can offer.
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The promise of smart glasses and the hurdles to widespread adoption
Smart glasses, which integrate cameras, displays, and speakers directly into their frames, have been drawing attention as a new class of information device. Their greatest advantage lies in hands-free, first-person view access to a world of information without the need to look down at a smartphone or a PC.
This new generation of smart eyewear can generate an audible summary of a book you’re browsing in a library, help you choose a wine for dinner, support hands-free work on the shop floor by displaying manuals, and navigate you home once the day is done. The ease of interaction with the world enabled by AI assistance is expected to have a broad impact across fields ranging from consumer applications to industrial environments.
To be sure, several hurdles remain before smart glasses can become truly mainstream. Hardware challenges such as device aesthetics, size, weight, and battery life persist, along with the need to create an intuitive user experience for an entirely novel device category. For these devices to become as ubiquitous as smartphones, they must continue to evolve so that they are as beautiful to wear as they are functional, eventually becoming everyday information devices we can no longer imagine living without.
Toward intuitive, effortless AI glasses
To break through current limitations and elevate smart glasses to a truly intelligent presence, TDK has established AIsight (pronounced “eyesight”), a new business division built on TDK’s broad technological foundation and enhanced by breakthrough technologies. AIsight develops custom chips, cameras, and AI algorithms to deliver integrated system solutions that enable smart glasses to interact naturally with the world without requiring users to actively invoke AI for every need.
The name AIsight is a coined term combining “AI” and “eyesight.” TDK AIsight’s distinctive strength is its Eye-Intent Technology, which allows AI to understand user intent: what the user is seeing, what is capturing their interest, and what the user is likely to want to know or do next. This goes far beyond conventional eye tracking that simply follows the user’s gaze.
By integrating TDK’s diverse hardware, including sensors, microphones, displays, and batteries with unique AI algorithms that operate continuously at ultra-low power, all-day use becomes a reality. The result is intuitive, user-friendly AI glasses that deliver the right information at the right time, making AI a natural part of the user’s world.
TDK technologies powering AI glasses
Physical AI: Fusing the real world with generative AI
TDK AIsight CEO
A key concept proposed by TDK AIsight is physical AI*—a framework where AI analyzes real-world information unfolding before the user in real time and presents insights that directly enhance the user’s ability to take effective action. Unlike conventional devices that only provide information when AI functions are prompted, smart glasses enabled by TDK AIsight continuously interpret the surrounding environment using built-in cameras and microphones, actively assisting users to respond confidently to their immediate needs.
At the heart of this capability lies the SED0112 DSP (digital signal processor) developed by TDK AIsight. Optimized for AI glasses, SED0112 is a DSP platform that integrates a microcontroller, a state machine, and a hardware-based CNN (convolutional neural network) engine that delivers ultra-low power processing.
Te-Won Lee, CEO of TDK AIsight, shared his thoughts on the company’s prospects. “TDK AIsight will be a systems solution company integrating a host of key technologies to connect users of AI glasses with generative AI. We will provide fully integrated solutions that ease adoption of these technologies to seamlessly blend context-aware computing, memory & recall, visual analysis, and scene recognition for compelling user experiences.”
The future of connection: AI glasses as your everyday partner
TDK AIsight is redefining smart glasses by utilizing Eye-Intent Technology to understand user intent through visual perception. By fusing ultra-low power hardware with physical AI, the company provides a seamless, hands-free experience that functions as a natural partner in daily life. This integrated approach enables context-aware computing and scene recognition that goes beyond the capabilities of traditional smartphones or PCs. As hardware challenges like battery life and design continue to be addressed, smart glasses are expected to become as ubiquitous and indispensable as the smartphone. Ultimately, TDK AIsight envisions a future where AI-powered eyewear serves as an essential action partner, intuitively augmenting human perception and transforming how we interact with the real world.
Conceptual video of a pair of AI glasses in use
Terminology
- Physical AI: A field of artificial intelligence that allows devices and systems to sense, understand, and interact with the physical world by directly processing data collected by various sensors.
