In this Q&A, get a glimpse into the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision through the lens of longtime Unity user Gerard Espona, whose robot digital twin project was featured in the Made with Unity: AI series. Working as simulation lead at Luxonis, whose core technology makes it possible to embed human-level perception into robotics, Espona uses his years of experience in the industry to weigh in on the current state and anticipated progression of computer vision.During recent years, computer vision (CV) and AI have become the fastest-growing fields both in market size and industry adoption rate. Spatial CV and edge AI have been used to improve and automate repetitive tasks as well as complex processes.This new reality is thanks to the democratization of CV/AI. Increasingly affordable hardware access, including depth perception capability as well as improvements in machine learning (ML), has enabled the deployment of real solutions on edge CV/AI systems.Spatial CV using edge AI enables depth-based applications to be deployed without the need of a data center service, and also allows the user to preserve privacy by processing images on the device itself.Along with more accessible hardware, software and machine learning workflows are undergoing important improvements. Although they are still very specialized and full of technical challenges, they have become much more accessible, offering tools that allow users to train their own models.Within the standard ML pipeline/workflow, large-scale edge computing and deployment can still pose issues. One of the biggest general challenges is to reduce the costs and timelines currently required to create and/or improve machine learning models on real-world applications. In other words, the challenge is how to manage all these devices to enable a smooth pipeline for continuous improvement.Also, the implicit limitations in terms of compute processing need extra effort on the final model deployed on the device (that is, apps need to be lightweight, performant, etc.). That said, embedded technology evolves really fast, and each iteration is a big leap in processing capabilities.Spatial CV/AI is a field that still requires a lot of specialization and systems. Workflows are often complicated and tedious due to numerous technical challenges, so a lot of time is devoted to smoothing out the workflow instead of focusing on value-added tasks.Creating datasets (collecting and filtering images and videos), annotating the images, preprocessing/augmentation process, training, deploying and closing the feedback loop for continuous improvement is a complex process. Each step of the workflow is technically difficult and usually involves time and financial cost, and more so for systems working in remote areas with limited connectivity.At Luxonis, we help our customers build and deploy solutions to solve and automate complex tasks at scale, so we’re facing all these issues directly. Our mission, “Robotic vision made simple,” provides not only great and affordable depth-capable hardware, but also a solid and smooth ML pipeline with synthetic datasets and simulation.Another important challenge is the work that needs to be done on the interpretability of models and the creation of datasets from an ethical, privacy and bias point of view.Last but not least, global chip supply issues are making it difficult to get the hardware into everybody’s hands.Data-centric AI is potentially useful when a working model is underperforming. Investing a large amount of time to optimize the model often leads to almost zero real improvement. Instead, with data-centric AI the investment is in analysis, cleaning and improving of the dataset.Usually when a model is underperforming, the issue is within the dataset itself, as there is not enough data for the model to outperform. This could be the result of two possible reasons: 1) the model needs a much larger amount of data, which is difficult to collect in the real world, or 2) the model doesn’t have enough examples of rare cases, which take a lot of time to happen in the real world.In both situations, synthetic datasets could help.Thanks to Unity’s computer vision tools, it is very easy to create photorealistic scenes and randomize elements like materials, light conditions and object placement. The tools come with common labels like 2D bounding boxes, 3D bounding boxes, semantic and instance segmentation, and even human body key points. Additionally, these can be easily extended with custom randomizers, labelers and annotations.Almost any task you want to automate or improve using edge CV/AI very likely involves detecting people for obvious safety and security reasons. It’s critical to guarantee user safety around autonomous systems or robots when they’re working, requiring models to be trained on data about humans.That means we need to capture a large amount of images, including information like poses and physical appearance, that are representative of the entire human population. This task raises some concerns about privacy, ethics and bias when starting to capture real human data to train the model.Fortunately, we can use synthetic datasets to mitigate some of these concerns using human 3D models and poses. A very good example is the work done by the Unity team with PeopleSansPeople.PeopleSansPeople is a human-centric synthetic dataset creator using 3D models and standard animations to randomize human body poses. Also, we can use a Unity project template, to which we add our own 3D models and poses to create our own human synthetic dataset.At Luxonis, we’re using this project as the basis for creating our own human synthetic dataset and training models. In general, we use Unity’s computer vision tools to create large and complex datasets with a high level of customization on labelers, annotations and randomizations. This allows our ML team to iterate faster with our customers, without needing to wait for real-world data collection and manual annotation.Since the introduction of transformer architecture, CV tasks are more accessible. Generative models like DALL-E 2 could also be used to create synthetic datasets, and NeRF as a neural approach to generate novel point of views of known objects and scenes. It’s clear all these innovations are catching the attention of audiences.On the other hand, having access to better annotation tools and model zoos and libraries with pre-trained, ready-to-use models are helping drive wide adoption.One key element contributing to the uptick in computer vision use is the fast evolution of vision processing units (VPUs) that currently allow users to perform model inferences on device (without the need for any host) at 4 TOPS of processing power (current Intel Movidius Myriad X). The new generation of VPUs promises a big leap in capabilities, allowing even more complex CV/AI applications to be deployed on edge.Any application related to agriculture and farming always captures my attention. For example, there is now a cow tracking and monitoring CV/AI application using drones.Our thanks to Gerard for sharing his perspective with us – keep up with his latest thoughts on LinkedIn and Twitter. And, learn more about how Unity can help your team generate synthetic data to improve computer vision model training with Unity Computer Vision.

When it comes to bedding that’s soft and supple, the best silk sheets are hard to beat. Unlike other materials like a textured linen or crisp percale, these have a glossy look and feel that you won’t quite find in another set. What’s more, they are just as versatile as they are stylish. Silk of the highest quality is characterized as a hypoallergenic, naturally breathable fabric, which is great for hot sleepers and sleepers with sensitive skin. Plus, many sets come in neutral and bright colorways to play off of your bedroom’s design.To get a real feel for the best sets out there, our editors got to work by sleeping in on our favorite sets on the market. And since top-tier silk sheets tend to be pricey, we’ve also sprinkled in some affordable alternative options like satin and bamboo. They might trick you into thinking they’re the real thing. Here, find all of our favorites to enhance your sleep experience and self-care routine.Our Top Picks for the Best Silk Sheets:Best Overall Silk Sheets: Quince Mulberry Silk Sheet Set, $500Best Splurge: Clementine Sleepwear Atelier Medica Organic Silk Fitted Base Sheet, $899A Sustainable Set: Lunya Quintessential Bedding Set, $428Best Silk Alternative: Ettitude CleanBamboo Sheet Set, $379 $265Most Affordable: Bedsure Satin Sheets, $41For Hot Sleepers: Luxome Luxury Sheet Set, $185Browse by CategoryFor consistency, all prices reflect queen sizes in this story.The Best Silk Sheets, OverallQuince Mulberry Silk Sheet SetUpsides & DownsidesUpsides: Affordable, machine washable, made of 100% mulberry silkDownsides: Only available in a few neutral colorsSpecsMaterial: 100% mulberry silkSizes: Queen, kingColors: 3Includes: Fitted sheet, flat sheet, and 2 pillowcasesCare instructions: Machine washable, air-dry recommendedQuince is already one of our favorite destinations for luxury-on-a-budget sleep essentials. While you’ll find an affordable price point here too, the quality of these 100% mulberry silk sheets isn’t something to skip over. Senior commerce editor Nashia Baker keeps these high-quality sheets in rotation since they’re both durable and easy to care for. They are machine washable—she just keeps them with like colors for safe measure, though. From there, an air-dry gets the sheets back to their best condition. Even if you don't notice an immediate change from tumble drying, the brand says this practice can weaken the silk. As someone whose skin has gotten more sensitive over time, she appreciates the hypoallergenic, temperature-regulating material that feels soothing to sink into each night.These sheets have a 22 momme count. We dive into this more in our FAQ section, but this count essentially indicates a durable weave, and Baker says they've held up well without tears or color fading in sight.Best SplurgeClementine Atelier Medica Silk Fitted SheetUpsides & DownsidesUpsides: No off-gassing, tester says the deep hue pairs well with neutral bedding, infused with ingredients like hyaluronic acidDownsides: PriceySpecsMaterial: 100% GOTS certified organic silk beddingSizes: Twin, full, queen, kingColors: 2Includes: Fitted sheetCare instructions: Machine wash on the most delicate setting in a “silk-only” load with mild detergent. Or, hand wash with a mild detergent and gently massage the fabric for one minute to remove dirt and let it soak for the next four minutes. Rinse in fresh cold water. Do not use bleach or a fabric softener. Hang in a shady spot away from the sun to air-dry.Calling them “extremely soft and rich-feeling,” commerce writer Julia Harrison coats her bed with this silk set and adds that they’re the “kind of splurge that just feels like self-care every time you slip into it.” While they’re steeper in price, the brand notes that these sheets boast infused with ingredients like hyaluronic acid designed to leave skin feeling dewy and soothed. Harrison says she sleeps easily with these sheets and felt like they were ready for use out of the box with little to no off-gassing (though she did still give them a wash).All that aside, these sheets can instantly dress up a moody or minimalist bedroom at any given moment with the pearl white and navy blue hues. Although Harrison has a bohemian-meets-Danish design style in her space, she found the navy blue color to be surprisingly subtle. “It wasn’t screaming: silk sheets, or even worse: navy blue sheets,” she says. “I tucked it under my white duvet and it gave a really interesting contrast.”A Sustainable SetPhoto: Nashia BakerPhoto: Nashia BakerLunya Quintessential Bedding SetUpsides & DownsidesUpsides: Made of natural wood tencel fibers, soft, durable materialDownsides: Duvet and sheet set are sold separatelySpecsMaterial: 100% tencelSizes: Queen, king, California kingColors: WhiteIncludes: Fitted sheet, flat sheet, and 2 pillowcasesCare instructions: Machine wash cold and tumble dry low.Take it from Baker: Lunya’s silky sheets are a dream. At first glance, she mistook these as mulberry silk because of their glossy look. In actuality, these sheets are made of a natural fiber called tencel, which is a wood-based material. The brand notes that the bedding is biodegradable and created using an earth-friendly, closed-loop process that uses recycled materials. These are naturally breathable while also boasting a softness that she hasn’t quite felt in a standard silk set. “I wouldn’t consider myself a hot sleeper, but since NYC weather is constantly up and down, I like something that’s both airy and soft,” she says. “I sleep under the top sheet and duvet with no problem; the set keeps me comfortable during in-between spring weather that hits around the 50s and 60s.”While the duvet is sold separately, it's a plus to pair with the sheet set since it's just as durable. “I’ve had the same textured comforter with yellow embroidery for years now, and I feared that the design would show through the duvet cover since the only color Lunya has as of now is white,” Baker says. “I was pleasantly surprised to see that the duvet covered it all without any color peeking through.”Best Silk AlternativeEttitude CleanBamboo Sheet SetUpsides & DownsidesUpsides: 8 colors available, Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, hypoallergenicDownsides: Some colors sell out quicklySpecsMaterial: 100% CleanBamboo LyocellSizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California kingColors: 8Includes: 1 fitted sheet, 1 flat sheet, 2 pillowcase(s). Full and queen sizes include 2 standard pillowcases; King and California king include 2 king-size pillowcases, twin and twin XL include 1 standard pillowcase.Care instructions: Wash on cold with mild detergent and like fabrics in a gentle or delicate setting. Line dry or tumble dry low. Don't use bleach or fabric softener."These sheets are buttery—pun intended,” says Baker, who has this set in the butter colorway. These are made from a patented CleanBamboo fabric that leaves the sheets with a silky sateen finish. She says they have gotten noticeably softer over time with a routine wash and dry. Plus, they are a bit thinner in a good way than other bamboo-like sets, as Baker says it leaves them with an airier feel. If trendy pastel yellow isn’t your preference, these sheets also come in several neutral and vibrant hues like sage and saffron.Most AffordableBedsure Satin SheetsUpsides & DownsidesUpsides: Affordable alternative, smooth feel, easy care (machine washable and tumble dry)Downsides: Some color might bleed on pillows after the first couple of usesSpecsMaterial: 100% polyester satinSizes: Twin, full, queen, king, California kingColors: 22Includes: Fitted sheet, flat sheet, and 2 pillowcasesCare instructions: Machine washable in cold water. Tumble dry on low.Another alternative to add to cart, these satin sheets have a smooth texture and come in nearly two dozen colors to match your bedroom. And coming in at just $41, they have more of an approachable price tag while still boasting the overall look of silk. The sheets are more slippery than a standard silk set, but the appearance itself doesn't give that away. Baker has these in burgundy and says the rich hue really shows through in person. She did notice some color bleeding on her pillows after the first couple of uses, so something to be mindful of if you opt for a deep color.For Hot SleepersPhoto: Nashia BakerLuxome Luxury Sheet SetUpsides & DownsidesUpsides: Unique colors available, deep pockets, breathableDownsides: The brand recommends washing alone on the delicate cycleSpecsMaterial: 100% Viscose from BambooSizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, and split kingColors: 12Includes: 1 fitted sheet, 1 flat sheet, 2 pillowcase(s). Full, queen, king, California king, and split king sizes include 2 pillowcases; twin and twin XL include 1 standard pillowcase.Care instructions: Machine wash in cold water on a delicate cycle with a mild, liquid detergent. Don't use bleach, fabric softener, stain removers, or scent boosters. Tumble dry with low heat.These are our favorite cooling sheets for those seeking a glam aesthetic. Baker says this bamboo set is great for people like her who crave something cool-to-the-touch without sacrificing style. “These sheets have the same appearance to me as a high-end set of silk or satin without the cost,” she says, adding that they have dramatic drape. “These are even more unique because of the jewel tones, like sapphire, that are hard to find with other brands,” she says. Baker keeps her bedscape full with a mattress topper and protector, and she says these deep-pocket sheets fit easily over it all. While she says she’s generally a cold sleeper, the bamboo material is perfectly breathable for hot NYC days.How We TestedFrom bamboo to linen sheets, our testing process for sheets is one in the same at AD: Just like fellow shoppers, our editors bring sets in their homes to see if they really hold up for routine use. We had these silk and silk alternative sheets in our homes for about a month, if not more, to go through the process of washing and sleeping on them. Here areMaterial: There are several silk and silk alternative fabrics to choose from, but our list consists of pure mulberry silk, bamboo varieties, and satin that all have a similar look and feel. When shopping for pure silk, be sure look for bedding labels that note 100% mulberry silk, also known as natural silk. If you're looking for options that mirror the look of silk, 100% viscose from bamboo is typically durable and has less strict care instructions, especially tumble drying. Satin tends to be slightly more slippery in texture, but these usually still offer a silky look.Care: For streamlined care, we tested a variety of options that span hand washing to machine washing, as well as tumble drying and air-drying. Since pure silk can sometimes weaken from abrasive wash and dry cycles, it's typically recommended to hand wash and air-dry.FAQsAre Silk Sheets Really Worth It?While 100% mulberry sheets tend to be an investment price-wise, we think it's worthwhile. These can act as cooling sheets, as the material is naturally breathable for a good night's rest. And because of their smooth nature, they can leave a polished aesthetic in any bedroom. With the right care—typically machine washing on a delicate cycle or hand washing and air drying—the best silk sheets can last for years.What’s a Momme Count?A momme count is the measurement that reflects the weight of silk. Typically, the higher the momme count, the denser the fabric. Any momme count above 20 momme, like our Quince pick, is pretty standard and ensures the material is sturdy and designed to last.

Macworld It’s no secret that Apple’s heavily rumored push into the smart home segment has taken a hit because of the Siri setbacks. The so-called “HomePad” could still launch by the end of this year (if everything goes right with Apple’s new plan), but that’s not Apple’s priority anymore. An even more intriguing product is in the works and a new report claims Apple wants to ship it “as soon as possible.” According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has prioritized the development of a smart home device with a display attached to a robotic arm. Gurman reported on the device last August, but Gurman’s most recent report adds a bit more context. The device, which will reportedly have “a unique AI personality,” has hit a development “snag,” which could mean Apple may decide to withhold some features for later versions in order to ship it quicker. A demonstration of the robot that Apple Machine Learning Research has been working on. The technology involved could be at the heart of Apple’s J595 project.Apple Apple is on the hunt for its next breakthrough new product. It launched the Apple Vision Pro headset last February, but its high price and limited usefulness have hindered its growth. The home tabletop robot–code-named J595–could certainly be a bigger hit. Apple is already developing technology that would allow the device’s arm to move in a way similar to that of Luxo Jr., the mascot of Pixar Studios. At the beginning of this year, Apple Machine Learning Research posted a paper with videos demonstrating “expressive and functional movement” for such a device. The research (seen above) looks impressive. As for the HomeHub set for later this year, it has been rumored to feature a small display panel, possibly 7 inches. Code-named J490, it could essentially be a HomePod with a larger display, with Siri playing a major role in its user interface. Similar to competing devices from Google and Amazon, it would provide Home controls for smart home devices such as lights and thermostats, and could also serve as a FaceTime station.

2026 may still be more than seven months away, but it’s already shaping up as the year of consumer AI hardware. Or at least the year of a flurry of high-stakes attempts to put generative AI at the heart of new kinds of devices—several of which were in the news this week. Let’s review. On Tuesday, at its I/O developer conference keynote, Google demonstrated smart glasses powered by its Android XR platform and announced that eyewear makers Warby Parker and Gentle Monster would be selling products based on it. The next day, OpenAI unveiled its $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s startup IO, which will put the Apple design legend at the center of the ChatGPT maker’s quest to build devices around its AI. And on Thursday, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple hopes to release its own Siri-enhanced smart glasses. In theory, all these players may have products on the market by the end of next year. What I didn’t get from these developments was any new degree of confidence that anyone has figured out how to produce AI gadgets that vast numbers of real people will find indispensable. When and how that could happen remains murky—in certain respects, more than ever. To be fair, none of this week’s news involved products that are ready to be judged in full. Only Google has something ready to demonstrate in public at all: Here’s Janko Roettgers’s report on his I/O experience with prototype Android XR glasses built by Samsung. That the company has already made a fair amount of progress is only fitting given that Android XR scratches the same itch the company has had since it unveiled its ill-fated Google Glass a dozen years ago. It’s just that the available technologies—including Google’s Gemini LLM—have come a long, long way. Unlike the weird, downright alien-looking Glass, Google’s Android XR prototype resembles a slightly chunky pair of conventional glasses. It uses a conversational voice interface and a transparent mini-display that floats on your view of your surroundings. Google says that shipping products will have “all-day” battery life, a claim, vague though it is, that Glass could never make. But some of the usage scenarios that the company is showing off, such as real-time translation and mapping directions, are the same ones it once envisioned Glass enabling. The market’s rejection of Glass was so resounding that one of the few things people remember about the product is that its fans were seen as creepy, privacy-invading glassholes. Enough has happened since then—including the success of Meta’s smart Ray-Bans—that Android XR eyewear surely has a far better shot at acceptance. But as demoed at I/O, the floating screen came off as a roadblock between the user and the real world. Worst case, it might simply be a new, frictionless form of screen addiction that further distracts us from human contact. Meanwhile, the video announcement of OpenAI and IO’s merger was as polished as a Jony Ive-designed product—San Francisco has rarely looked so invitingly lustrous—but didn’t even try to offer details about their work in progress. Altman and Ive smothered each other in praise and talked about reinventing computing. Absent any specifics, Altman’s assessment of one of Ive’s prototypes (“The coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen”) sounded like runaway enthusiasm at best and Barnumesque puffery at worst. Reporting on an OpenAI staff meeting regarding the news, The Wall Street Journal’s Berber Jin provided some additional tidbits about the OpenAI device. Mostly, they involved what it isn’t—such as a phone or glasses. It might not even be a wearable, at least on a full-time basis: According to Jin, the product will be “able to rest in one’s pocket or on one’s desk” and complement an iPhone and MacBook Pro without supplanting them. Whatever this thing is, Jin cites Altman predicting that it will sell 100 million units faster than any product before it. In 2007, by contrast, Apple forecast selling a more modest 10 million iPhones in the phone’s first full year on the market—a challenging goal at the time, though the company surpassed it. Now, discounting the possibility of something transformative emerging from OpenAI-IO would be foolish. Ive, after all, may have played a leading role in creating more landmark tech products than anyone else alive. Altman runs the company that gave us the most significant one of the past decade. But Ive rhapsodizing over their working relationship in the video isn’t any more promising a sign than him rhapsodizing over the $10,000 solid gold Apple Watch was in 2015. And Altman, the biggest investor in Humane’s doomed AI Pin, doesn’t seem to have learned one of the most obvious lessons of that fiasco: Until you have a product in the market, it’s better to tamp down expectations than stoke them. You can’t accuse Apple of hyping any smart glasses it might release in 2026. It hasn’t publicly acknowledged their existence, and won’t until their arrival is much closer. If anything, the company may be hypersensitive to the downsides of premature promotion. Almost a year ago, it began trumpeting a new AI-infused version of Siri—one it clearly didn’t have working at the time, and still hasn’t released. After that embarrassing mishap, silencing the skeptics will require shipping stuff, not previewing what might be ahead. Even companies that aren’t presently trying to earn back their AI cred should take note and avoid repeating Apple’s mistake. I do believe AI demands that we rethink how computers work from the ground up. I also hope the smartphone doesn’t turn out to be the last must-have device, because if it were, that would be awfully boring. Maybe the best metric of success is hitting Apple’s 10-million-units-per-year goal for the original iPhone—which, perhaps coincidentally, is the same one set by EssilorLuxottica, the manufacturer of Meta’s smart Ray-Bans. If anything released next year gets there, it might be the landmark AI gizmo we haven’t yet seen. And if nothing does, we can safely declare that 2026 wasn’t the year of consumer AI hardware after all. You’ve been reading Plugged In, Fast Company’s weekly tech newsletter from me, global technology editor Harry McCracken. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or if you’re reading it on FastCompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Friday morning. I love hearing from you: Ping me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com with your feedback and ideas for future newsletters. I’m also on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads, and you can follow Plugged In on Flipboard. More top tech stories from Fast Company How Google is rethinking search in an AI-filled worldGoogle execs Liz Reid and Nick Fox explain how the company is rethinking everything from search results to advertising and personalization. Read More → Roku is doing more than ever, but focus is still its secret ingredientThe company that set out to make streaming simple has come a long way since 2008. Yet its current business all connects back to the original mission, says CEO Anthony Wood. Read More → Gen Z is willing to sell their personal data—for just $50 a monthA new app, Verb.AI, wants to pay the generation that’s most laissez-faire on digital privacy for their scrolling time. Read More → Forget return-to-office. Hybrid now means human plus AIAs AI evolves, businesses should use the technology to complement, not replace, human workers. Read More → It turns out TikTok’s viral clear phone is just plastic. Meet the ‘Methaphone’Millions were fooled by a clip of a see-through phone. Its creator says it’s not tech—it’s a tool to break phone addiction. Read More → 4 free Coursera courses to jump-start your AI journeySee what all the AI fuss is about without spending a dime. Read More →

Google CEO Sundar Pichai talking about Google Beam, formerly known as Project Starline, at Google ... More I/O 2025Anshel Sag Google used its annual I/O event this week to put the focus squarely on AI — with a strong dash of XR. While there’s no doubt that Google remains very committed to Android and the Android ecosystem, it was more than apparent that the company’s work on AI is only accelerating. Onstage, Google executives showed how its Gemini AI models have seen a more than 50x increase in monthly token usage over the past year, with the major inflection point clearly being the release of Gemini 2.5 in March 2025. I believe that Google’s efforts in AI have been supercharged by Gemini 2.5 and the agentic era of AI. The company also showed its continued commitment to getting Android XR off the ground with the second developer preview of Android XR, which it also announced at Google I/O. (Note: Google is an advisory client of my firm, Moor Insights & Strategy.) Google’s monthly tokens processedAnshel Sag Incorporating Gemini And AI Everywhere For Google, the best way to justify the long-term and continuous investment in Gemini is to make it accessible in as many ways as possible. That includes expanding into markets beyond the smartphone and browser. That’s why Gemini is already replacing Google Assistant in most areas. This is also a necessary move because Google Assistant’s functionality has regressed to the point of frustration as the company has shifted development resources to Gemini. This means that we’re getting Gemini via Google TV, Android Auto and WearOS. Let’s not forget that Android XR is the first operating system from Google that has been built from the ground up during the Gemini era. That translates to most XR experiences from Google being grounded in AI from the outset to make the most of agents and multimodal AI for improving the user experience. To accelerate the pace of adoption of on-device AI, Google has also announced improvements to LiteRT, its runtime for using AI models locally that has a heavy focus on maximizing on-device NPUs. Google also announced the AI Edge Portal to enable developers to test and benchmark their on-device models. These models will be crucial for enabling low-latency and secure experiences for users when connectivity might be challenged or when data simply cannot leave the device. While I believe that on-device AI performance is going to be important to developers going forward, it is also important to recognize that hybrid AI — mixing on-device and cloud AI processing — is likely here to stay for a very long time. Android XR, Smart Glasses And The Xreal Partnership Because Google introduced most of its Android updates in a separate “Android Show” a week before Google I/O, the Android updates during I/O mostly applied to Android XR. The new Material 3 Expressive design system will find its way across Google’s OSes and looks set to deliver snappier, more responsive experiences at equal or better performance. I wrote extensively about Google’s Android XR launch in December 2024, explaining how it would likely serve as Google’s tip of the spear for enabling new and unique AI experiences. At Google I/O, the company showed the sum of these efforts in terms of both creating partnerships and enabling a spectrum of XR devices from partners.Google’s Shahram Izadi, vice president and general manager of Android XR, talking about Project ... More Moohan onstage at Google I/O 2025Anshel Sag In this vein, Google reiterated its commitment to Samsung and Project Moohan, which Google now says will ship this year. The company also talked about other partnerships in the ecosystem that will enable new form factors for the AI-enabled wearable XR operating system. Specifically, it will be partnering with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to develop smart glasses. In a press release, Google said it has allotted $150 million for its partnership with Warby Parker, with $75 million already committed to product development and commercialization and the remaining $75 million dependent on reaching certain milestones. I believe that this partnership is akin to the one that Meta established with EssilorLuxottica, leaving the design, fit and retail presence to the eyeglasses experts. Warby Parker is such a good fit because the company is already very forward-thinking on technology, and I believe that this partnership can enable Google to make some beautiful smart glasses to compete with Meta Ray Bans. While I absolutely adore my Meta Ray Bans, I do think they would be considerably more useful if they were running Gemini 2.5, even the flash version of the model. Gentle Monster is also a great fit for Google because it helps capture the Asian market better, and because its designs are so large that they give Google plenty of room to work with. Many people have written about their impressions of Project Moohan and the smart glasses from Google I/O, but the reality is that these were not new — or final — products. So, I hope that these XR devices are as exciting to people as they were to me back in December.Google announces Project Aura on stage during the Google I/O developer keynote.Anshel Sag For me the more important XR news from the event was the announcement of the Project Aura headset in partnership with Xreal. Project Aura, while still limited in details, does seem to indicate that there’s a middle ground for Google between the more immersive Moohan headset and lightweight smart glasses. It’s evident that Google wants to capture this sweet spot with Xreal’s help. Also, if you know anything about Xreal’s history, it makes sense that it would be the company Google works with to bring 3-D AR to market. Project Aura feels like Google’s way to compete with Meta’s Orion in terms of field of view, 3-D AR capabilities and standalone compute. While many people think of Orion as a pair of standalone glasses, in fact they depend on an external compute puck; with Qualcomm’s help, Google will also use a puck via a wire, though I would love to see that disappear in subsequent versions. The Xreal One and One Pro products already feel like moves in the direction Google is leaning, but with Project Aura it seems that Google wants more diversity within Android XR — and it wants to build a product with the company that has already shipped more AR headsets than anyone else. The wider 70-degree field of view should do wonders for the user experience, and while the price of Project Aura is still unclear, I would expect it to be much more expensive than most of Xreal’s current offerings. Google and Xreal say they will disclose more details about Project Aura at the AWE 2025 show in June, which I will be attending — so look for more details from me when that happens. Project Starline Becomes Google Beam Google also updated its XR conferencing platform, formerly called Project Starline, which it has been building with HP. Google has now changed the project into a product name with the introduction of Google Beam. While not that much has changed since I last tried out Project Starline at HP’s headquarters last September, the technology is still quite impressive — and still quite expensive. One of the new capabilities for Google Beam, also being made available as part of Google Meet, is near-real-time translated conversations that capture a person’s tone, expressions and accents while translating their speech. I got to experience this at Google I/O, and it was extremely convincing, not to mention a great way to enhance the already quite impressive Beam experience. It really did sound like the translated voice was the person’s own voice speaking English; this was significant on its own, but achieving it with spatial video at fairly low latency was even better. I hope that Google will one day be able to do the translations in real time, synced with the user’s speech. Google says that it and HP are still coming to market with a Google Beam product later this year and will be showing it off at the InfoComm conference in June. Google has already listed some lead customers for Google Beam, including Deloitte, Salesforce, Citadel, NEC, Hackensack Meridian Health, Duolingo and Recruit. This is a longer list than I expected, but the technology is also more impressive than I had initially expected, so I am happy to see it finally come to market. I do believe that with time we’ll probably see Google Beam expand beyond the 65-inch screen, but for now that’s the best way to attain full immersion. I also expect that sooner or later we could see Beam working with Android XR devices as well. Analyst Takeaways From Google I/O I believe that Google is one of the few companies that genuinely understands the intersection of AI and XR — and that has the assets and capabilities to leverage that understanding. Other companies may have the knowledge but lack the assets, capabilities or execution. I also believe that Google finally understands the “why” behind XR and how much AI helps answer that question. Google’s previous efforts in XR were for the sake of pursuing XR and didn’t really align well with the rest of the company’s efforts. Especially given the growth of AI overall and the capabilities of Gemini in particular, AR glasses are now one of the best ways to experience AI. Nobody wants to hold their phone up to something for a multimodel AI to see it, and no one wants to type long AI prompts into their phone. They want to interact with AI in the context of more natural visual and auditory experiences. Although smartphones can deliver a fairly good experience for this, they pale in comparison to having the microphones and cameras closer to your eyes and mouth. The more you use AI this way, the less you find yourself needing to pull out your phone. I certainly don’t think smartphones are going to disappear, but I do think they are going to decline in terms of where most of an individual’s AI computing and connectivity happen. All of this is why I’m much more confident in Google’s approach to XR this time around, even though the company has burned so many bridges with its previous endeavors in the space (specifically Daydream and Glass). More than that, I believe that Google’s previous absence in the XR market has impeded the market’s growth. Now, however, the company is clearly investing in partnerships and ecosystem enablement. It will be important for the company to continue to execute on this and enable its partners to be successful. A big part of that is building a strong XR ecosystem that can compete with the likes of Apple and Meta. It won’t happen overnight, but the success of that ecosystem will be what makes or breaks Google’s approach to XR beyond its embrace of Gemini. Moor Insights & Strategy provides or has provided paid services to technology companies, like all tech industry research and analyst firms. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition matchmaking and video and speaking sponsorships. Of the companies mentioned in this article, Moor Insights & Strategy currently has (or has had) a paid business relationship with Google, HP, Meta, Qualcomm, Salesforce and Samsung.Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Make no mistake, Google wants to run the technology inside your first pair of luxury smart sunglasses, but it’s not leaving the looks to chance or for its own internal designers to handle. Instead it’s turning to established eyewear partners with experience in the space it clearly wants to dominate, as it aims to make Android XR the go-to software for eyewear brands to adopt.  Big names with the right experience  During the keynote presentation for Google I/O 2025, the company’s annual developer conference, Android XR was showcased towards the end of the two-hour event using prototype smart glass hardware. Google’s ongoing decision not to show any consumer-ready models of its own suddenly made sense when it announced two partnerships related to smart glasses — Gentle Monster and Warby Parker — on stage, along with a third, Kering Eyewear, outside of the keynote. Recommended Videos It doesn’t look like Google intends to make glasses of its own, preferring to outsource the hardware to other brands, rather than add another homegrown product to its own Pixel mobile device range. It’s by far the best decision it could have made. Making spectacles of any kind is not like making a phone or a smartwatch, and although Google’s pockets are deep enough to hire experts, it’d be a long time before it nailed the design and fit, and likely impossible to build an extensive range of shapes for different faces required for wide success in a short amount of time.  It hasn’t just chosen any old sunglasses manufacturer as partners though. The names already confirmed are not only well-known, they also have clear ambitions in integrating technology into their business, and they’re all approaching the challenge from different directions too. Google’s handling the software, and letting others deal with the hardware. If you’ve been around Android for a while and remember its smartphone beginnings, this will be a familiar strategy. Gentle who, Warby what?  We’ll come back to Warby Parker and why it’s a great choice for Google in a moment, as you may not be familiar with Gentle Monster, yet it’s probably the most exciting of the three partners. The South Korean brand started out in 2011 and although it sells its products globally, it’s best known in its home country, Japan, and China. It’s recognized for its creatively exciting retail stores, partnerships with big fashion brands, and its continued use of technology.  Gentle Monster has already fully embraced technology. From its wild, futuristic, often cyberpunk-inspired designs to the crazy high-tech art installations inside its retail stores, the brand is the perfect match for Google’s software. It has already tried its hand with smartglasses, having worked with Huawei several times, starting out during the audio-first smart glass wave around 2020. Outside of actual smart glasses it has introduced augmented reality try-on technology, produced a collaborative mobile game, worked with video game brands on some crazy designs, and has a well established online retail presence.  Warby Parker sunglasses Warby Parker Warby Parker will likely be the more familiar name due to its unusual direct sales platform, the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair charitable program, and clever marketing through online sources such as podcasts. It’s not as tech-forward as Gentle Monster and that’s a good thing, as its classic designs will appeal to those who don’t want to make a strong statement. Google is doing more than just signing a partnership agreement with Warby Parker, it’s investing $150 million into the brand, with half set aside to develop new products. This is evidence of its serious commitment to developing smart glasses. The final new partnership is with Kering Eyewear, a conglomerate designing products for 14 top luxury names including Gucci, Montblanc, Balenciaga, Cartier, and others. It also has its own eyewear brands, including Lindberg and Maui Jim. Google’s vice president of XR, Shahram Izadi, made its intentions with the company clear in the press release, saying, “Integrating our immersive XR platform with Kering Eyewear’s iconic styles will give consumers the fashion and function to get the most out of Android XR.” Leaving nothing to chance Maui Jim (a Kering Eyewear brand) sunglasses Mark Thompson/Getty Images / Maui Jim Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica for the Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses helped make the product a success. Ray-Ban’s expertise and product understanding allowed Meta to release essentially one pair of glasses which are so well designed and timeless, they suit the vast majority of faces. However, the Wayfarer is fairly unique in the world of glasses, where one size almost never fits all.  By partnering with Gentle Monster, Warby Parker, and Kering Eyewear, Google has already got the majority of not only faces, but also tastes neatly covered. Not everyone will be able to pull off a pair of Gentle Monster glasses, or even want to try, but Warby Parker will be there to provide a pair they feel comfortable with, while those who love the latest fashion will likely find something from Kering Eyewear’s list of brands.  Ray-Ban Meta Andy Boxall / Digital Trends All the while, it’ll be Google’s Android XR platform working behind the scenes, providing an optimized and consistent user experience. Google’s Wear OS platform for smartwatches went through a rocky period, but it has improved massively since Wear OS 4, showing the company is now taking wearable tech software seriously, and making us less concerned about it delivering a strong software platform for smart eyewear than we may have been before. High-tech luxury sunglasses are coming Google A consistent and reliable software experience will be more critical than you may think. There’s nothing luxurious about poorly functioning software, and its partners won’t want anything to sour their reputations. Google needs Android XR to practically blend into the background and barely be part of the conversation when it comes time to buy a pair of luxury smart glasses, and that will only come through confidence in the product from all sides. There’s a lot riding on Android XR.  Eyewear is chosen and purchased because of the way it looks on our faces, and the version of ourselves it projects to others. This will be the number one consideration, and Android XR needs to impress by being instantly usable, never intrusive, and almost invisible. By not building the hardware on its own, it appears Google is well aware of this, and its choice of partners shows it also knows it has to cater to as many people as possible to make the platform a success.  Perhaps the only problem here is time, because nothing is happening very quickly. Neither Gentle Monster or Kering Eyewear have talked about when an Android XR product may arrive, and Warby Parker has only said its first products will come after 2025. Provided that means early 2026, the ingredients are there for Google to finally banish the ghost of Glass with its latest high-tech eyewear push, and for your next pair of luxury sunglasses to have Android XR inside. 

Google says it will commit up to $150 million to the consumer eyewear company Warby Parker to jointly develop AI-powered smart glasses based on Android XR, the companies said on Tuesday during Google I/O 2025. Google has already committed $75 million to Warby Parker’s product development and commercialization costs, the companies said in a press release. Google says it will invest an additional $75 million, taking an equity stake in Warby Parker, should the eyewear manufacturer meet certain milestones. At Google I/O 2025, Google also announced partnerships with several companies to develop smart glasses with Gemini AI and AR capabilities, including Samsung and Gentle Monster. Google seems to be taking a page out of Meta’s smart glasses strategy. Meta has found success partnering and investing in the Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica to develop its smart glasses. Part of the reason behind Ray-Ban Meta’s success is that the smart glasses have an attractive, familiar design and they’re being sold in Ray-Ban stores. It seems likely that Google will have a similar relationship with Warby Parker, taking advantage of the eyewear company’s popular frame designs and perhaps its retail stores. In the press release, Warby Parker and Google said they intend to launch a series of products over time. Their first line of eyewear will launch “after 2025” and will incorporate multimodal AI with prescription and non-prescription glasses. Topics

LEGO releases most of its new sets on the first of each month. But some sets can’t be contained in such a tidy way. Some sets come out whenever they darn well please. Today sees the release of three new sets that are all pretty cool, with a Mario Kart set leading the pack. Let’s take a look at the LEGO sets releasing on May 15.LEGO Mario Kart: Mario & Standard KartLEGO Mario Kart: Mario & Standard KartThe coolest new release this month for IGN readers has to be this Mario Kart LEGO set. It’s aimed at the 18+ age group, which means it’s a somewhat advanced build and is intended for display rather than play. It’s a great-looking take on Mario Kart, and it comes out just a few weeks before millions of Nintendo diehards will be trying out Mario Kart World (the first truly new MK game in 11 years) for the first time when the Switch 2 launches. Check out our We Build LEGO Mario Kart feature to see exactly what goes into building this set for Nintendo fans.LEGO Icons Shuttle Carrier AircraftLEGO Icons Shuttle Carrier Aircraft$229.99 at LEGO StoreThere's been no shortage of space-themed LEGO sets over the years (there’s even a coffee table book highlighting the space sets that came out decades ago). The latest entry lets you build the Boeing 747 and NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise. It’s also one of the many LEGO sets for adults and is intended to be displayed on a desk or shelf. It would make a good gift for the space science fan in your life.LEGO Art: Keith Haring – Dancing FiguresLEGO Art: Keith Haring – Dancing Figures$119.99 at LEGO StoreAlso out May 15 is a set depicting the iconic dancing figures made famous by artist Keith Haring. You build five colorful, boldly outlined dancing figures that you can hang on a wall or set on stands to display on a shelf.LEGO Mario Kart Spiny Shell - LEGO Insiders Rewards CenterLEGO Super Mario: Mario Kart - Spiny ShellSee it at LEGO StoreLEGO Insiders (you can sign up here for free) accrue Insiders points when they make purchases at the LEGO Store. If you’ve racked up 2,500 LEGO Insiders points, you can exchange them in the LEGO Insiders Rewards Center for LEGO Super Mario: Mario Kart - Spiny Shell. It’s a buildable re-creation of the dreaded Blue Shell power-up from the Mario Kart series. Note that you actually exchange your points for a promo code that adds the shell set to your next purchase at the LEGO Store. In other words, you have to make a purchase to redeem it.New LEGO Gifts With PurchaseLEGO Up-Scaled Baby AstronautSee it at LEGO StoreLEGO Mini Ninja Combo MechSee it at LEGO StoreWhile supplies last, if you spend $150 or more at the LEGO Store (excluding preorders), you’ll get the Up-Scaled Baby Astronaut. The buildable not-so-mini-figure goes along with the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft set discussed above.And if you spend $40 or more on Ninjago-themed sets, you’ll get a Mini Ninja Combo Mech set ($4.99 value, set #30699, 80 pieces) for free. In other news, preorders are up for LEGO Pixar Luxo Jr., the lovable, leaping lamp from the Pixar logo. And if you're looking for more new sets, check out all the biggest LEGO sets of May 2025.Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Hearing aids, like canes or orthopedic shoes, are something you don’t think about a lot when you’re young. But maybe you should.You probably either know someone who needs hearing aids, or you’ll need them some day yourself. About 30 million people in the United States, aged 12 and older, have hearing loss in both ears, and about two-thirds of people end up with hearing loss, which can range from mild to severe, by their 70s. But talking to your parents or grandparents about getting hearing aids can be tough — I’ve done it. They might not like the idea of sticking things in their ear canals or confronting the difficult realities of aging and health. They surely shy away from the price tag of hearing aids, which can cost thousands of dollars and are not covered by insurance or Medicare. But plugging tiny and exorbitantly expensive speakers into your ears isn’t the only way. Your mom might already own hearing aids without even knowing it.Hearing aids have never been more accessible — or futuristic. In April, a company called Nuance started selling glasses that double as hearing aids thanks to microphones and beam-forming speakers built into the frame. Although at $1,200, they’re not cheap, they cost far less than a pair of prescription hearing aids, which tend to range from $2,000 to $7,000.The Nuance glasses joined an increasingly crowded market of FDA-regulated over-the-counter hearing aids that includes everything from the latest Apple AirPods Pro, which gained the capability through a software update, to bean-sized buds from Sony. Prices for these devices start as low as $100, and you don’t need an audiologist to help set them up. Hearing aids have never been more accessible — or futuristic.You can also buy something that’s legally considered a personal sound amplification product (PSAP), which is not designed to treat hearing loss but does make things louder. Some of them can play music and handle phone calls too. In the age when earbuds are ubiquitous, these devices appeal to all ages.“It’s good that we’re seeing people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, talking about it, because it’s totally changing the paradigm for them of engaging in hearing care earlier,” Nicholas Reed, a faculty member at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told me.I’m a millennial, but I’ve also dealt with hearing loss my entire life. A bad stretch of childhood ear infections left me mostly deaf in one ear and pretty spotty in the other. I learned to read lips as a teenager and avoid conversations at loud parties in college. Some surgery in my 20s brought me closer to normal, but I could still use a little help. I’ve spent the past few weeks trying out the Nuance glasses in various settings. They’re remarkable, not only because they feel almost indistinguishable from my regular glasses but also because I forget they’re hearing aids. Made by EssilorLuxottica, the company behind Ray-Ban and dozens of other glasses brands, the Nuance glasses employ some of the same technology that the Ray-Ban Meta glasses use to play music and help you talk to AI. And while the Nuance glasses don’t currently offer the option to stream audio, they do help you hear what your friend is saying in a loud bar.The AirPods Pro 2, which retail for $250, work equally as well. After Apple announced last fall that a software update would unlock an accessibility setting — it’s appropriately called Hearing Aid — I started using it all the time, toggling between listening to podcasts to ordering cold brew in a crowded coffee shop. In instances where I may have needed to ask people to repeat themselves in the past, I hear them fine the first time. I just have to wear AirPods all the time, which makes the glasses solution even more appealing. For most people, hearing loss typically starts in your 50s and gains momentum in your early retirement years. If you’ve ever been to a busy restaurant with your parents or grandparents, you know this can be alienating for the person left out and frustrating for the hearing person, too. The social isolation can lead to loneliness and anxiety, which can hasten cognitive decline and lower life expectancy.Nevertheless, neither traditional clinical hearing aids or the newer category of devices are easy fixes. Once you start wearing any sort of hearing aid, it takes time to adjust, and you might need help tweaking the sound as you get used to it. That’s one reason why so many people avoid it — only one in five who need hearing aids actually have them. You can’t put them in your ears and immediately have perfect hearing. Your brain adjusts over time, and so it may take weeks or months to adapt to the new frequencies hearing aids help you hear.Still, it’s a worthwhile project.“Sensory input is so key to our existence, but we just sort of overlooked it for so long,” Reed said. “It’s something that’s vital to your existence and how you connect with other people.”It’s not clear how the latest hearing aid innovation will move the needle on adoption. Even though over-the-counter hearing aids have been available since 2022, when the FDA implemented new regulations for the devices, it’s still an uphill battle to get people to wear them. “Sensory input is so key to our existence, but we just sort of overlooked it for so long.”— Nicholas Reed, faculty member at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine“We are not seeing large increases in hearing aid uptake since over-the-counter hearing aids have become available,” said Tricia Ashby, senior director of audiology practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). “And I have to say that mimics other countries who had over-the-counter hearing aids before the US did.”Given the fact that the older people who need them most are potentially less likely to try the latest technology, it might still take a few years for over-the-counter hearing aids to go mainstream. Given the precedent set by companies like Apple and Nuance, though, it’s possible that more devices will add hearing assistive features to existing products. You can imagine a future where you wear earbuds that are the interface for your voice assistant as well as your lifeline on a loud plane. You might have glasses that project walking directions onto your field of view and help you hear which direction traffic’s coming from when you have to cross the street. These kinds of features together only get more important as you get older and need a little more help.“We are in an age now where you’re thinking about optimizing aging, and how do you do it?” Reed said. “And it’s things like this.”A version of this story was also published in the User Friendly newsletter. Sign up here so you don’t miss the next one!See More: