At CEATEC 2024, JVCKENWOOD launched a prototype of an AI-powered wi-fi earbud with a built-in digicam, designed to mix audio, visible enter, and AI processing in a single wearable gadget. The idea allowed customers to work together hands-free with an AI assistant primarily based on what the built-in digicam captured, while not having to make use of a smartphone.
At CEATEC 2025, the corporate introduced an up to date prototype that includes a revised design and two new demonstrations that explored sensible purposes of this expertise in on a regular basis life and office settings.
Though the mannequin proven this yr was nonetheless a prototype, the up to date design regarded far nearer to a completed product than the cumbersome early-stage model displayed in 2024. The brand new single earbud had a cleaner, extra built-in look that higher mirrored how the idea may evolve right into a commercially viable gadget.
The JVC KENWOOD sales space attracted vital consideration, and the AI earbud with built-in digicam demos have been among the many hottest experiences at CEATEC 2025. The road to strive the prototype was lengthy, and I needed to wait patiently to get a slot to expertise each demos firsthand — a transparent indication of the sturdy curiosity from trade professionals and enterprise guests in these AI-powered purposes delivered by way of this distinctive kind issue.
Supporting Seniors and Folks with Cognitive or Visible Challenges
With its AI-driven single earbud, JVCKENWOOD goals to help aged customers, individuals with dementia, and people with visible impairments.
By combining the built-in digicam, AI interpretation, and GPS knowledge from a related smartphone, the gadget helped customers navigate safely, acknowledge acquainted individuals, and talk extra successfully.
Households and caregivers may use the companion app to monitor exercise and observe location, serving to guarantee security and preserve contact with customers who stay independently.
AI-Powered Recognition to Keep in mind Folks You Have Met a Lengthy Time In the past
The AI earbud prototype with built-in digicam was comfy to put on over the ear
Within the first demo, the AI assisted customers in recalling the names of individuals they’d beforehand met.
For instance, when encountering somebody with whom a enterprise card had been exchanged, the digicam may establish the individual and present their identify by way of the earbud.
If the related knowledge had already been saved, the system may additionally acknowledge acquaintances encountered in public, providing a sensible instance of how wearable AI may help reminiscence recall.
On this demo, the massive display screen on the fitting recreates a gathering with somebody I met six months earlier. The smaller display screen on the left reveals what the earbud’s digicam sees, with the AI displaying the individual’s identify.
From my expertise on web site: on the display screen, a lady appeared who I used to be advised I had supposedly met six months earlier. My JVC KENWOOD AI earbud had beforehand captured her picture alongside along with her enterprise card data.
To set off the facial recognition course of, I greeted her with “Konnichiwa” (Good afternoon in Japanese). In response, the AI system recognized her face and displayed her identify on the related smartphone, demonstrating how the gadget may recall individuals and hyperlink them to saved private or enterprise data.
AI-Pushed Safety from Harassment for Buyer-Dealing with Staff
At CEATEC 2025, JVC KENWOOD additionally demonstrated how the AI earbud with Constructed-in Digicam may assist defend staff in retail or service environments when coping with abusive or aggressive clients. The demonstration illustrated how AI, visible recognition, and communication instruments may work collectively to enhance office security and allow speedy help from managers and coworkers.
Demo: the massive display screen shows a simulated case of buyer harassment, whereas I’m sporting the AI earbud with an built-in digicam.
Within the state of affairs, an worker sporting the AI earbud encountered an offended buyer. The earbud’s built-in microphone and miniature digicam constantly monitored the dialog. When the AI detected particular inappropriate or offensive phrases coming from the complaining buyer, it routinely began recording the footage (video and audio) whereas additionally capturing a nonetheless picture and storing the transcription of the dialogue. This data was transmitted to a smartphone software connecting the worker to their supervisor and colleagues.
I skilled the demo myself, sporting the AI earbud whereas the abusive-customer interplay performed on a video display screen in entrance of me. Throughout the simulation, I noticed the supervisor’s smartphone receiving real-time message updates, together with audio transcriptions recorded by the earbud, and images taken by the built-in digicam. The system confirmed how managers and coworkers may monitor the scenario remotely and reply shortly to help the worker.
I can simply think about giant retail and restaurant chains — reminiscent of Walmart, Goal, McDonald’s, Subway, or Starbucks — adopting comparable AI-powered options to defend their staff from buyer abuse, routinely doc incidents, and cut back stress for frontline employees.
Demo: The supervisor’s smartphone reveals a real-time transcript and captured photographs from the interplay between the client and the employee.”
The setup used Science Arts’ Buddycom IP wi-fi communication platform, which enabled the captured knowledge — together with the nonetheless picture, transcript, line-of-sight data, and triggered video — to be securely shared amongst staff members. The earbud used a wi-fi communication protocol for communication functions.
This model of the system stays a prototype, although it was smaller and totally wi-fi in comparison with the sooner 2024 mannequin. JVC KENWOOD plans to maneuver into trials with trade companions, however they might not share any extra data concerning market launch
Comparability with Different AI-Pushed Wearable Units
In contrast with different AI-driven wearable gadgets that primarily give attention to picture seize, object recognition, and language translation, the JVC KENWOOD AI earbud with built-in digicam takes a extra human-centric, safety-oriented method.
Whereas many vision-based wearables have been designed primarily for content material creation or on-demand picture evaluation, JVC KENWOOD’s idea built-in audio, imaginative and prescient, and contextual AI to help real-time help, communication, and safety in on a regular basis eventualities.
Its trigger-based video and audio recording, voice-driven interface, and future multi-language help lengthen using AI wearables past private comfort — aiming to ship tangible advantages for accessibility, security, and social interplay fairly than way of life or leisure.
Filed in . Learn extra about AI (Synthetic Intelligence), Digicam, CEATEC, Pc Imaginative and prescient, Earbuds, Editorpick, Innovation, JVCKenwood, Wearable and Wearable Tech.
