Haier ASU Watch: The smartwatch with the laser projector
The world's largest manufacturer of large household appliances is going for a smaller look. The ASU Smartwatch is set to shake up the world of smartwatches and comes with a laser projector that beams data onto the back of your hand.
Smartwatches have a problem by design: they have to be small, but must be able to display a wealth of information in a graphically attractive way. Otherwise they would just be watches with too little smart. No matter how high the smartwatches are built and how bulky they become as a result, the problem with the small screen for a lot of information remains.
The Chinese manufacturer Haier now seems to have solved this problem. Or: The manufacturer at least has a suggestion as to how the problem could be tackled.
The answer is called laser.
Since everything can be enhanced by lasers, the Haier ASU Watch is no exception. The smartwatch uses focussed light to project information onto the back of your hand. Or the nearest wall. Or on any object you point the watch's beam at.
Since, as already factually correctly established in the paragraph above, everything is better when you add lasers but we all don't have a laser-powered watch on our wrist yet, there must be a catch somewhere that is definitely not "laser".
The catch is another
First the cool thing: you strap on the ASU Watch, swipe to the left on the screen and the menu appears, which I'll now call the laser menu. This is where you control all the laser projections. You select something, then the watch loads briefly and then a laser fires an image onto the back of your hand. You can then read the information there. The projections are even animated. And I can point something at the 240 x 240 pixel display and the laser scales it up to 480 x 854 and projects the drawing.
This is pretty damn cool.
But here's the catch: the ASU Watch is far from a product suitable for the masses. The device's problems lie not only in the software, but above all in the hardware. The device is gigantic and weighs a lot. Of course, a projector like this not only needs space but also energy, which means that more battery has to be installed. In addition, various biomonitors such as heart rate monitors and pedometers must of course be installed, because otherwise a smartwatch can't be called a smartwatch, it seems.
Admittedly, the idea behind the ASU Watch is good, very good in fact. After all, most people have a part of their hand near their wrist that is still unused in terms of technology. This doesn't mean that the back of the hand necessarily has to be used as a display or as something in the Internet of Things, but if you want to present a solution to the problem of space on the wrist, then the projection approach is definitely not a bad one.
The only question is: why?
Why on earth do we need this? Does the display on the back of the hand solve some problem that we currently have so much out of control that it needs solving? What exactly will humanity gain if I can project a smiley face onto the moon using a laser?
I don't know.
On the software side, the problem is that the processor is probably a bit too slow to deliver solid performance. That's a bit of a tricky statement, as Haier's lump of wrist laser has no competition on the market. So it's hard to say whether the laser menu is too slow or not. Maybe that's the speed at which a laser interface reacts and faster is not possible. I doubt it, but for the life of me I don't know, because the world of wearables is currently getting to grips with laser projections for the first time.
The translations in English are not really good and the grammar is a bit awkward here and there. Since the product launch in China has either already taken place or is imminent - the ladies at the Haier stand are not in agreement - the device does not really seem to be destined for the international market yet.
Then there is the matter of the use case. The laser menu can currently do little more than display fitness data and cause eye injuries.
Okay, admittedly, then there's the matter of the laser
Haier is a brand that has been around for 34 years and is a world leader. In 2014, Haier had the world's largest market share for large household appliances. This was the sixth year in a row that Haier held this position. So it's safe to assume that Haier doesn't mess around when it comes to appliance development.
Except that lasers are installed there
At some point, every child learns that it's better not to look into a laser beam. I confront the nice lady at the Haier stand with this statement. She starts the sentence with a long "Eh..." and then brushes it off.
"The laser in the ASU Watch is completely safe. But I still wouldn't look inside."
Aha.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.