Megane Top, the operator of Japan's largest eyewear chain "Megane Ichiba," has unveiled a new smart glasses model called "Linse Display" that can project translated text and scripts directly into the wearer's field of view. Priced at 119,000 yen, the device will open for pre-orders through a crowdfunding campaign starting October 23. By combining a display with AI features for the first time, the company is pushing the product beyond a simple camera-equipped wearable.
A Leap to AI Glasses with a Dual-Eye Display
Linse is Megane Top's smart glasses lineup, which so far has included the camera-equipped "Linse" and the audio-focused "Linse Lite." Linse Display marks the second entry in the series, and its biggest change is the addition of a dual-eye green Micro LED display. Earlier Linse models had no AI functionality at all, but Linse Display now supports on-device AI processing, effectively turning the lineup into true AI glasses.
Four New Features, Including Translation and a Teleprompter
The new features include real-time transcription of nearby conversations, translation that displays what the other person says directly in the wearer's view, a teleprompter mode for reading scripts, and walking or cycling navigation. Translation covers nine languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Navigation does not yet support train travel, and Megane Top plans to add an AI assistant feature down the line. The glasses can also be operated by voice.
Camera Moves to Center Front, Battery Life Varies by Use
The device keeps a roughly 12-megapixel camera, but the lens and indicator light have moved from the edges of the frame, as on the original Linse, to the center front. A blinking light alerts people nearby whenever recording is active, a privacy consideration carried over from the earlier model. The unit weighs about 50 grams and carries a 200mAh battery, good for roughly eight hours of typical use or about four hours when continuously running AI features such as translation. The lenses are clear and support prescription inserts, and the device connects via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Since what was shown is a prototype, specifications and appearance may still change before mass production.
AR Technology Co-Developed with Cellid
The optical design behind the display comes from Cellid, a company that builds display and spatial-recognition engines for AR glasses. Cellid is handling the optics and hardware design, while Megane Top brings its expertise in eyewear development along with a retail network of roughly 1,036 stores nationwide. The company says interest from the food inspection industry, where workers wanted to record what an inspector sees for later review, has also prompted it to explore uses in manufacturing, maintenance, and inspection work.
Megane Ichiba Turns 20 in October, Renewing Its Sabae Factory
The Megane Ichiba brand marks its 20th anniversary on October 6. Chain-wide sales topped 100 billion yen in fiscal 2024, and as of the end of March 2026 the company operated 1,036 stores in Japan and 35 overseas. Megane Top points to its strengths as a specialty eyewear retailer, including in-store fitting, same-day processing for single-vision lenses, and short turnaround times for progressive lenses, and plans to offer the same kind of support for Linse Display. The company is also renovating its own factory in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, a region known for eyewear manufacturing, with plans to open it as a public "open factory" showing the production process starting in July 2027.
Summary
Linse Display adds practical features like translation and a teleprompter to what had been a camera-first smart glasses line, backed by the fitting and lens expertise of a dedicated eyewear retailer. Priced at 119,000 yen, it is set to open for crowdfunding pre-orders on October 23, and it will be worth watching how the specifications evolve on the way to mass production and how far the device's business applications expand.
