Google Glass, you’ve got company! Sekai Camera inventor introduces Telepathy One

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Inventor Iguchi wearing his new product Telepathy One

See also this story in Japanese.

Takahito Iguchi, the former Tonchidot CEO best known for having invented an augmented reality smartphone app Sekai Camera, has just unveiled a wearable communications device called Telepathy One at SXSW 2013. It looks poised to be a rival product to Google Glass, and sales are expected to start in the US before the 2013 Christmas season.

The device has a display and camera located just in front of your eye, which lets you see a virtual 5-inch screen just in front of you. It also can connect to other devices via Bluetooth, and lets users receive e-mails, check updates on social networks, and even share whatever scene you’re looking at with your friends.

telepathy_oneIguchi-san quit Tonchidot in November of 2012, and everybody in the Japanese startup community has been much anticipating what he would develop next. And apparently this is it, and it certainly looks like an ambitious project. Given that he is somewhat of a pioneer in the AR space (Sekai Camera was a finalist at the 2008 TechCrunch 50 event), it will be interesting to see how this solution stacks up to Google Glass. In terms of differentiation, Iguchi explains his product will be more fashionable and introduced for a more affordable price.

He is currently attending at SXSW 2013 exhibiting the product and letting other SXSW-ers try it on, and gathering feedback from them.

Update: There’s also a promo video on YouTube for Telepathy One, which you can check out below.

(Photo via Telepathy One Facebook page)