NINE SYSTEMS AND THEIR MAKERS
The smart-glasses supply chain, part by part
Each part of the glasses has a different job and a different set of public companies connected to it. Start with the hardware, then inspect the evidence. Device makers are listed for their own glasses, not as suppliers of the parts inside.
Microdisplays & light engines
A microdisplay and its projection optics form a tiny projector that sends the image into the lens. The panel type (LCoS, micro-OLED or microLED) sets brightness, color, power and size. TechInsights puts display-related parts at about half (50.8%) of the bill of materials for Meta Ray-Ban Display and its Neural Band.
8 companiesWaveguides & lenses
A waveguide carries the projected image inside a thin, high-index plate and releases it toward the eye while the wearer sees through it. Reflective and diffractive waveguides are made in very different ways. Camera-and-audio AI glasses use ordinary prescription or sun lenses instead.
12 companiesProcessors & memory
An AR-class chip runs the camera, on-device AI, audio and wireless within a skin-contact thermal budget of roughly 1–2 W. Heavy AI runs on the phone or in the cloud, and a low-power companion chip handles always-on listening.
10 companiesCameras & eye tracking
A 12 MP world-facing camera provides photos, video and the visual input for multimodal AI, and an LED signals when it is recording. Premium AR adds inward-facing eye-tracking cameras and infrared illuminators.
10 companiesMotion sensing & input
Motion sensors stabilize video and read head gestures. Touch strips, buttons, wear sensors and hinge sensors run the everyday controls, and wrist EMG bands and rings add private, hands-down input.
7 companiesSpeakers & microphones
Open-ear speakers sit just in front of the ear and use dual ports to limit sound leakage. An array of four to six microphones plus a bone-conduction pickup isolates the wearer’s voice for AI and calls.
11 companiesBattery & charging
Tiny lithium cells, around 1 Wh or less per pair, set runtime and much of the weight balance. Power-management chips and a charging case that holds many times more energy do the rest.
6 companiesWireless & antennas
Bluetooth keeps an always-on, low-power link to the phone, and Wi-Fi moves photos and video. Antennas have to hide in a small frame right next to the head.
7 companiesFrames & assembly
The frame must hide the electronics, fit many faces, pass flex circuits through its hinges and seal the device. Eyewear companies design and make frames, and contract manufacturers assemble the electronics.
5 companiesDevice makers & platforms
The companies that define, brand and sell smart glasses, plus the operating-system and AI platforms behind them. This group is not a physical part. Device makers are listed for their own products, not as suppliers of the parts inside.
12 companiesCompanies can participate in more than one sector. Sector counts overlap; the smart-glasses universe contains 54 distinct listings.