South Korea’s LetinAR is building optics behind AI glasses
LetinAR, a South Korean startup, is developing optical technology for AI-enabled smart glasses. The company recently secured $18.5 million in funding and aims for an IPO in 2027. As major tech companies invest in this market, LetinAR focuses on creating lightweight and efficient optical modules for wearable devices.
- ▪LetinAR has spent a decade developing technology for AI glasses.
- ▪The startup recently received $18.5 million in funding from various investors.
- ▪Global shipments of AI glasses are projected to exceed 15 million units this year.
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| Original publisher | Startups | TechCrunch |
| Canonical URL | https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/18/south-koreas-letinar-is-building-the-optics-behind-ai-glasses/ |
| Publication time | Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-18T11:04:56.482Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-18T14:54:06.907Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
| Citation coverage | Summary is a WeSearch-generated derivative; primary citation is the original publisher URL. |
| Cluster | CuR2uRrF9_Rs |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Imagine you’re riding a motorcycle at 160 kilometers per hour when an arrow appears, floating on the road ahead, telling you exactly where to turn. No phone, no dashboard. Just your helmet, and a lens the size of a thumbnail. This is not a concept video. It’s heading to European roads as early as this year. And it’s one early glimpse of where smart glasses are heading. Over the past few years, Big Tech has been quietly (and not so quietly) placing its bets. Meta has been selling AI-enabled Ray-Ban glasses since 2023, Google is building Android XR, and Apple is expected to enter the market. Last week, Samsung was reportedly set to unveil its first AI-capable smart glasses, co-designed with Gentle Monster, at a Galaxy Unpacked event in London this July.
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