Guangli Holoswim
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| Guangli Holoswim | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | AR Glasses |
| Developer | Guangli |
| Manufacturer | Guangli |
| Announcement Date | 9 September 2021[1] |
| Release Date | 2021 |
| Price | US$149 (planned retail price, 2021); CN¥599 (mainland China pre-order price, 2021)[2][1] |
| Successor | Guangli Holoswim 2 |
| Display | |
| Display | Single OLED monocular |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 25° diagonal |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Holographic resin optical waveguide (Holoresin) |
| Ocularity | Monocular |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth (to iOS and Android app) |
| Power | Magnetic fast charging |
| Battery Life | Over 10 hours (manufacturer claim) |
| Device | |
| Weight | About 75 g, module included (manufacturer figure) |
| Sensors | Motion sensor (IMU) |
| Input | Physical push button on the electronics module |
Guangli Holoswim is an augmented reality head-mounted display released in 2021. It is a pair of swimming goggles made by the Chinese company Guangli (光粒科技), with a waterproof electronics module on one side and a display in that side's lens that shows swimming data such as distance, laps, strokes and pace while the wearer swims.[2][1] The display uses Holoresin, a holographic optical waveguide made on a resin substrate that Guangli developed and announced in August 2021.[3][4]
Guangli announced the goggles on 9 September 2021 and opened pre-orders in mainland China the same day, alongside an international Kickstarter campaign.[1] The Kickstarter campaign did not complete, but the company reported more than 2,000 units sold during the pre-sale period.[5][6] The Holoswim was followed in 2022 by the Guangli Holoswim 2, and Guangli has continued to develop the Holoswim line of AR swimming goggles.[7][4]
Design and hardware
Display and optics
The data display sits in the lens on the same side as the electronics module, so only one eye sees it.[2] New Atlas described it as an "OLED holographic display".[2] The image reaches the eye through Guangli's holographic resin optical waveguide, which projects the swimming data in front of the wearer so that it can be read underwater.[1] Guangli states a 25° field of view and a light transmittance of up to 78% for the goggles.[1][3]
Guangli announced the waveguide, branded Holoresin, in August 2021, a month before the goggles. According to the company, the first commercial version of Holoresin has a 25° field of view and more than 90% light transmittance, and it was already in production at announcement with an annual capacity of more than 100,000 pieces and a yield above 95%. Guangli argues that a resin waveguide is lighter and less likely to break than a glass-substrate waveguide, which matters for sports and other uses that involve impacts or fast movement.[3] The Hangzhou newspaper Meiri Shangbao reported in 2025 that the waveguide is a volume holographic type within the diffractive waveguide family, with both the coating and the substrate made of resin. In the same article, Guangli founder and CEO Zhang Zhuopeng (张卓鹏) called the waveguide the main selling point of the 2021 Holoswim and said Guangli had applied for a patent and the Holoresin trademark for it.[4]
The lens surface has a polarizing coating that Guangli says blocks ultraviolet light and reduces glare. The company offered prescription customization for nearsighted swimmers with up to 800 degrees of myopia in the Chinese notation (8.00 diopters).[1]
Build
The frame is made of a sports-grade resin with no glass components. Guangli gives a weight of about 75 grams and a waterproof rating of IP68.[1] New Atlas reported the same 75 g (2.6 oz) figure with the module included.[2]
Sensors, controls and battery
An inertial measurement unit in the module tracks the swimmer's movements.[2] Guangli says its motion-sensing algorithms support an indoor pool mode and an open-water mode, and can compute 17 data combinations, including swimming time and speed, stroke count and stroke rate, and calories burned.[1] New Atlas listed the values shown in the goggles as total distance swum, number of strokes, number of laps, 100-meter stroke pace and total elapsed time. The wearer switches between displays with a physical push button on the module.[2]
A communication module lets the goggles show alerts for incoming phone calls.[1] New Atlas reported that this works only within 5 meters (16 ft) of the phone when the goggles are underwater.[2] Guangli claims a battery life of 10 hours, and the goggles charge through a magnetic fast-charging connector.[1] New Atlas gave the runtime as over 10 hours per charge of the lithium battery.[2]
Software
The goggles connect over Bluetooth to a companion app for iOS and Android. In the app, users configure the goggles, sync swimming data, set personal training goals and compare their results with friends.[1] New Atlas noted that the app can also be used to design training programs and review sessions afterward.[2] Guangli said the Holoswim would receive system updates over the air at no charge.[1]
History
Background
Guangli was founded in Hangzhou, China, in 2017.[7] Zhang Zhuopeng co-founded it with Wei Yizhen (魏一振), a university classmate from Zhejiang University. Zhang told Meiri Shangbao that most consumer AR glasses were aimed at film, gaming and entertainment, while underwater use had always been off-limits for AR; the company chose AR swimming goggles as its first product area.[4] Before the Holoswim, Guangli had shown the LIGHTIN 1 light field AR glasses in June 2019 and the LIGHTIN 2 AR glasses.[3]
Launch and crowdfunding
Guangli announced the Holoswim on 9 September 2021. A Kickstarter campaign opened at 21:00 Beijing time that day with a crowdfunding price of US$99, and users in mainland China could pre-order through Guangli's official store for CN¥599. ShenzhenWare reported that Guangli planned to show the goggles and offer demonstrations at AWE Asia 2021 in Chengdu on 27 and 28 September 2021.[1] New Atlas reported a Kickstarter pledge of US$89 for one set of goggles and a planned retail price of US$149.[2]
The Kickstarter tracking site Kicktraq records that the campaign ran from 9 September to 24 October 2021 and collected HK$77,457 from 93 backers against a HK$20,000 goal. Kicktraq lists the project's status as "Cancelled by Kickstarter".[5] Gadgets & Wearables later wrote that the campaign was cancelled and backers' money returned because the company felt it could not deliver the goggles on schedule, and pointed to chip and energy shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic during that year.[8]
In the Chinese market, Guangli reported in November 2021 that the Holoswim had sold more than 2,000 units during its pre-sale period. The company made the announcement together with the completion of an A+ financing round of more than 100 million yuan.[6][3]
Successors
Guangli launched the Guangli Holoswim 2 on Kickstarter in August 2022.[7] Gadgets & Wearables described the second generation as lighter than the original, at 70 grams, with a higher-resolution display.[8] Later models include the Holoswim 2 Pro, which Meiri Shangbao reported in July 2025 had been released the previous year,[4] and the Holoswim 3, which keeps a 70 g weight and has a 28° diagonal field of view.[9]
Specifications
- Display: Single OLED monocular
- Optics: Holographic resin optical waveguide (Holoresin)[1]
- Field of View: 25° diagonal
- Light transmittance: Up to 78% (manufacturer figure)[1]
- Sensors: Inertial measurement unit[2]
- Water resistance: IP68[1]
- Weight: About 75 g, module included[2]
- Battery life: Over 10 hours (manufacturer claim)[2]
See Also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 达达 (2021-09-09). "光粒发布 AR 全息智能泳镜 Holoswim，开启全球众筹，国内 599 元预售" (in Chinese). ShenzhenWare (深圳湾). https://www.shenzhenware.com/articles/15216. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Ben Coxworth (2021-09-13). "Holoswim goggles are the latest to show wearers their swimming data". New Atlas. https://newatlas.com/sports/holoswim-swimming-ar-goggles/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 sun, keting (2022-02-10). "XR头显品牌企业介绍: 杭州光粒科技有限公司" (in Chinese). 艾邦AR/VR网 (Aibang AR/VR). https://www.abvr360.com/a/3303. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 骆伊莎 (2025-07-31). "光粒科技：让AR智能眼镜成为人类新器官" (in Chinese). 每日商报 (Meiri Shangbao). https://mdaily.hangzhou.com.cn/mrsb/2025/07/31/article_detail_3_20250731A169.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Holoswim:Your Smart AR Swimming Goggles by GUANGLI". Kicktraq. https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/holoswim/holoswim-your-smart-ar-swimming-goggles/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Guangli technology has obtained more than 100 million financing and will soon release general-purpose consumer grade ar smart glasses". EqualOcean. 2021-11-18. https://equalocean.com/briefing/20211118230096301. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Holoswim Announces Launch of Next-Generation AR Smart Swim Goggles". PR Newswire. GUANGLI. 2022-08-02. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holoswim-announces-launch-of-next-generation-ar-smart-swim-goggles-301598075.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Dusan Johnson. "Holoswim 2: the next generation AI swim experience". Gadgets & Wearables. https://gadgetsandwearables.com/2022/08/15/holoswim-2/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "[Exclusive Interview Guangli Pioneers AI+AR Smart Glasses to Transform Sports Tech Experience"]. LEDinside. 2026-04-23. https://www.ledinside.com/interview/2026/4/2026_04_23_01. Retrieved 2026-09-27.