Tag: augmented reality

The dual eye technology makes it possible to recognize certain details that aren’t possible with one.

Google’s Project Glass has been drawing tremendous attention to the augmented reality goggles movement and the concept of the wearable computer, but there are now technologies that are producing results that are well beyond what even the latest glasses have to offer.

AR headsets, when combined with the right operating systems, are enhancing the experience tremendously.

The Brilliantservice R&D department has produced surprising results from what had started as an experiment at the app development house based in Japan. The operating system in question was Viking and its approach to wearable computing was a different one than the “tradition” in this area. In this instance, it used augmented reality through a reliance on gesture controls and the projection of a 720p images into each of the wearer’s eyes at the same time.

These augmented reality goggles were assembled using off the shelf parts simply for the purpose of testing.

The augmented reality goggles, in combination with the Viking OS, allowed apps to be opened, paintings to be drawn, and faces could be matched with names simply by looking in the individual’s direction. Viking, which was written in Objective C, relies on controls based on gestures as its main input format. The cameras set on top of the bridge of the nose recorded the movements of the wearer and provided the user with a graphical avatar of his or her own hand on the heads-up display unit.

This entire augmented reality device was connected to a laptop computer, which was responsible of powering it and providing it with its processing capabilities. That said, later models of the goggles will be designed with their own power source, as opposed to relying on the laptop.

The lenses of the augmented reality headset were reported to function clearly and well whether worn over the naked eye, or seen through prescription eyeglasses. The one statement that was made about the visibility of the image was the requirement to focus on the lenses as the projected images are exceptionally translucent. At the same time, this nature meant that the graphics never overwhelmed the field of vision of the user.

Metaio makes a breakthrough in augmented reality

Metaio, a pioneer of augmented reality technology, has long held a focus on software for mobile devices. The company specializes in augmented reality and has produced many of the world’s most acclaimed AR applications, with an emphasis on showing off the capabilities of the technology. Metaio is now looking to expand into the realm of hardware as it works to ensure that mobile devices can live up to the demands of augmented reality.

AR Engine to expand the capabilities of interactive technology

Metaio has partnered with ST-Ericsson to develop a new hardware chipset called AR Engine. This is the first time Metaio has developed hardware for the purpose of augmented reality and the company believes that it will help expand the capabilities of the technology significantly. The AR Engine is designed to be implemented into a new generation of smartphones and tablets and the entirety of its processing power will be devoted to augmented reality. This means significant improvements in the speed and performance of the technology.

Large-scale augmented reality experiences possible through new chipset

The chipsets exclusive focus on augmented reality will make AR applications run more smoothly on mobile devices. It will also boost performance, allowing for large-scale augmented reality experience, which Metaio suggests could encompass an entire city. The AR Engine also includes improvements to power consumption for particular mobile devices, allowing for “all day” augmented reality capabilities. Metaio CTO Peter Meier suggests that the AR Engine will do for the technology what the GPU did for the game industry several years ago.

AR Engine help realize Augmented City concept

In 2011, Metaio introduced the concept of the Augmented City, the idea of an environment that is completely powered by augmented reality. The firm demonstrated this concept at conferences all over the world, showing how augmented reality could be used as more than just entertainment and navigation. With the AR Engine, Metaio believes that it could move one step closer to making the Augmented City concept a reality.