Smart Exoskeletons vs. Smart Glasses: The Route War Over 'Augmentation'

If we went back to 2015, when people discussed smart wearables, what popped into their heads were still watches, bands, and the awkward fate of Google Glass. But today, ten years later, the Ministry of Commerce's semi-annual report gave the industry a shot in the arm: online retail sales of smart exoskeletons grew by 458.4% year-on-year, and smart glasses grew by 151.7%. Putting these two numbers together feels just like the eve of the smartphone rise, at the crossroads between feature phones and PDAs. But this time, under the premise of "augmentation," the two paths are heading toward completely different commercialization routes.