Imagine carrying glasses that seem normal, but that inside offer you constant and silent help. The concept sounds intriguing: without touching anything, you can solve doubts instantly, receive a clear explanation of something you do not understand, or even have an automatic translation in the middle of a conversation.
A startup called Halo, founded by former Harvard students, has created glasses with that idea in mind. They promise to endow us with a “superhuman intelligence.” Beyond the marketing strategy, the approach is indeed interesting.
Glasses that Listen and Respond in Real Time
Halo X do not resort to cameras to dazzle us but opt for a different approach. They are designed to listen to what happens around you, transcribe each conversation, and display on an internal screen information that they consider relevant at that moment.
They do not wait for a moment to be helpful; they try to anticipate needs and act proactively. In practice, that means if the name of a car model arises in a conversation, they can show a card with key data. If a technical term appears, they promise to display a clear definition.
The information operation appears in front of your eyes in less than a second. Even in everyday situations, such as speaking a different language, they should facilitate communication in real-time without requiring any additional effort.
Halo claims to provide answers in around 900 milliseconds for most queries, while the more complex searches take about two and a half seconds. To achieve this, the glasses rely on two complementary artificial intelligence engines. Gemini, the Google model, is responsible for reasoning tasks, while Perplexity functions as a contextual search engine that consults information on the web.
As for the hardware, the Halo X prioritizes discretion. The glasses incorporate a small display using Waveguide technology that is only visible to the user, along with integrated microphones and speakers, providing a seamless user experience.
The autonomy announced is around eight hours of continuous use. However, they do not process everything independently; they depend on a connected mobile phone and an application that acts as an intermediary, where most of the calculations and consultations are actually performed.
The significant debate point is privacy. The system records what you hear, transcribes it, and claims to eliminate the audio immediately afterward. Halo assures that the product will arrive with end-to-end encryption and that they are working to obtain SOC 2 certification, which would involve external audits on data management.
The system records what you listen to, transcribes it, and claims to eliminate the audio immediately afterward.
Nonetheless, they do not include any visible indicator that alerts those around you when they are being recorded, raising reasonable doubts. This controversy is not new: the founders have previously faced similar issues with unauthorized facial recognition systems, which generated concerns about security and inappropriate uses of technology.
At this moment, Halo X are not available in stores. They can be reserved on the official website with a starting price of $249. Upon selecting euros at checkout, they amount to approximately €223.13. The company has not yet provided a specific shipping date or confirmed whether there will be official distribution in Europe.
The possibility remains to be seen whether the Halo X avoids repeating the recent history of other devices that promised to revolutionize our relationship with artificial intelligence but ended up being commercial failures. The Rabbit R1 and AI Pin by Humane generated enthusiasm during their presentations but struggled in practice.
Halo’s ambition is commendable, and its proposal is as appealing as it is controversial. It remains to be seen whether these glasses will deliver on their promises or if they will join the ranks of inventions that aimed high and fell short.
Images | Halo
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