Smart living moving into mainstream use

A salesperson introduces intelligent customized furniture at a store in Huizhou, Guangdong province, on Sept 10. [Photo/For China Daily]

COLMO, a China-based brand that was among the earliest in the industry to promote AI-powered home appliances as a core positioning, has built a seamless smart home ecosystem around its self-developed AI butler system.

For instance, upon arriving home, a simple command — "I'm home" — sets the living room temperature to 26 C, activates the humidifying and air-purifying functions, and adjusts the curtains and lights to their usual evening settings. Later, when it's time to cook, another voice command — "I'm about to start cooking" — triggers the steam oven to preheat, adjusts the range hood to a low setting, turns on its lights, starts a prerinse cycle in the dishwasher, and dims the kitchen lights to a comfortable brightness.

A senior representative of COLMO said that the whole-home smart industry has entered a stage where the focus is on personalized user needs and deeper interaction with consumers, leading to explosive growth in the sector.

Highlighting the market trend, he said: "The whole-home smart technology is shifting from basic, standalone functions to deeper, scenario-based integration, ultimately moving toward proactive intelligence."

Once outside the home, the need for instant information and on-the-go decision-making becomes more pronounced. AI glasses bring navigation, translation and hands-free recording directly into the wearer's line of sight, making information easier to access on the move.

A recent buyer of Rokid AI glasses wrote on lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu, or Red Note, that the device allows her to capture everyday moments anytime from a first-person perspective, describing it as a genuinely hands-free experience.

Such firsthand experiences are becoming increasingly common. In 2025, the AI glasses market expanded rapidly, with a product once regarded as a niche device for tech enthusiasts gaining broader acceptance among mainstream consumers.

Zhang Yunming, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said at a news conference that shipments of smart glasses exceeded 1.78 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, with nearly 80 percent being AI-powered devices, bringing a stronger sense of technology and futurism to both production and everyday life.

E-commerce data further reinforce the trend.