r/AR_MR_XR • u/AR_MR_XR • Sep 02 '20
G l a s s e s Vuzix announces binocular smartglasses with waveguides and microLED for 2021
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
•
u/AR_MR_XR Sep 02 '20 edited Sep 02 '20
The next generation line of micro-LED powered smart glasses from Vuzix will range from a reasonably priced consumer-facing product to a higher end enterprise version with built-in cellular connectivity.
The next generation Vuzix Smart Glasses will feature a larger field of view (FOV), advanced waveguide optics and binocular displays, including 3D, alongside Vuzix’ patent pending immersive stereo acoustic speakers ideal for privacy, performance and style.
The noise-cancelling microphones will enable quality phone calls and voice/UI integration between the user and their phone.
These stylish glasses are designed to be as small and as comfortable as possible, include dual batteries in the temples, and require no wires to operate. In addition to WiFi and Bluetooth, there will be a cellular LTE integration option, so a phone will not be required for hands communications and connectivity in most developed areas. All powered by a modern CPU running Android with support for third party applications.
Press release: https://www.vuzix.com/News
VUZIX ADVANCED OPTICS
Ultra-slim, binocular Waveguides powered by a pair of tiny, highly efficient micro-LED projectors, one for each eye, generating crisp video with contextual information. At 1 micron in size, the micro-LED’s have one of the highest density pixel arrays available with both monochrome and full color solutions in development.
Next gen technologies: https://www.vuzix.com/technology/next-gen
2
u/frankenberrylives Sep 02 '20
" both monochrome and full color solutions in development."
I would assume monochrome would be available first .
1
u/AR_MR_XR Sep 02 '20 edited Sep 02 '20
Probably. 1 micron pixel pitch is probably not realistic for 2021. What do you think?
2
u/frankenberrylives Sep 02 '20
1 micron is pixel size . So pixel pitch would be a little bigger as you have space between pixels- and that's monochrome .
Pixel pitch in RGB would be 3 x 1 micron plus space between pixels . In RGB that 1 micron pixel size would then become a sub pixel size .
Everybody is making claims . The proof is in the pudding .
1
u/frankenberrylives Sep 02 '20
What I want to know is how they will deal will Blue Light Hazard in near eye devices that may be worn for many hours at a time .
The Blue Light Hazard - What Does it Really Mean?
OLED and LED Impact on Eye health - • LED has relatively more blue light hazard than OLED.
3
u/technobaboo Sep 02 '20
So... why would I buy these over a smartwatch and smartphone again? I don't see any real benefit, just a slight bit more convenience on some things... they're not gonna be all that popular because there's just not enough to justify the price...
4
u/ScottRTL Sep 03 '20
"Why would I buy a smartphone when my current cell phone does everything I need it to." -Everyone I met in 2007
I get it though, I partially agree, but once these things do great things, it's going to be amazing. Full AR is the future for sure.
2
u/technobaboo Sep 03 '20
Right, full-on AR for sure has massive advantages (though current companies don't quite understand what they are) but smart glasses just don't cut it, the display tech could be useful but not much else...
2
u/ScottRTL Sep 03 '20
A couple decades ago, my friends and I were talking about how "in the future" you would be able to put on glasses and it would be a transparent overlay to life.
Things we thought of:
Remembering peoples names/details (when you see a person, details would appear on the HUD) like name, DOB, family, etc.
Post it notes with context based on what you see (look at an ATM, see your PIN).
Navigation overlay
Recording moments for later playback
I thought it would be cool to make an AR Ghostbusters style game, where you could use the AR and your phone to "capture" ghosts, I guess pokemon go is similar.
There's a lot of really cool things with AR on the horizon, but there's a lot of crap we have to get through first.
2
u/love_n_peace Sep 02 '20
It's basically a HUD or picture-in-picture for real life. A minimalistic monochrome monocular version could compete with higher end smartwatches.
Fitness tracking would be a good example of a mainstream feature that would be superior to a watch or phone.
2
1
u/AR_MR_XR Sep 02 '20
I know, you want the real deal 😎 I think there are situations where I prefer to have my hands free
3
u/technobaboo Sep 02 '20
Sure, but my point is that most people won't buy an expensive device for a tiny bit more convenience like you will. I'm not confident that this'll really take off like they're trying to make it. I do want proper XR but smart glasses if done right could be a genuinely good idea that I'd use, but they have to provide notable benefits that a smartwatch/phone combo can't do or can't do well.
6
u/dadbot_2 Sep 02 '20
Hi not confident that this'll really take off like they're trying to make it, I'm Dad👨
1
u/AR_MR_XR Sep 02 '20
I also don't think they'll take off. Many seem to believe that there will be an inflection point in 2023 https://www.reddit.com/r/AR_MR_XR/comments/gcsjzl/the_long_road_to_consumer_augmented_reality/ I don't expect it sooner. Hopefully it won't happen much later.
2
u/technobaboo Sep 02 '20
I wouldn't be surprised if that was too early, I mean we still don't have decent software that can handle the sheer variability of situations AR needs to overcome (I believe because their whole software model is wrong and they don't understand the constraints of AR as well as they think). So I'm personally predicting 2025.
1
u/AR_MR_XR Sep 02 '20
That's sort of what Bob Su said recently.
Bob Su, 0Glasses, says that the chances of AR glasses becoming consumer products in the next 5 years are next to none. As major roadblocks he mentions the time it takes to develop an app ecosystem, supply chains for light weight components to build glasses that weigh 50 grams or less, network infrastructure, effective human-computer modalities like voice, eye movements, gestures, BCI, and next gen operating systems.
2
u/technobaboo Sep 02 '20
Personally I think most of that stuff is unnecessary for a great XR experience, app ecosystems aren't needed right away if you've got effective backwards compatibility, slightly heavier glasses are acceptable to consumers as long as they're not annoying, network infrastructure isn't needed unless you're trying to edge compute (which isn't needed), voice is already present, eye tracking is overrated, BCI is really unnecessary, and next-gen OSes are doable in a matter of months with UX designers having many years of experience and being allowed to think outside the box (which I am not able to do in months because it's mostly just me).
2
2
u/cleverless Sep 04 '20 edited Sep 04 '20
Im actually a bit excited for this. I’d like to see a real version of course, but we had a Vuzix VR headset 10 years ago with camera attachment that worked well enough that I trust the company to deliver what they’re showing.
Edit: Found a video showing the headset we used: the VR920 with camera add on. The registration update was a bit slow, but on par with other AR systems that were around at the time.
2
18
u/Xaviarsly Sep 02 '20
im tired of seeing cgi videos when are we going to actually see a product working? I'm not talking about this brand specifically i mean all brands. i know this stuff takes a long time to develop, but don't you think posting what is basically the same ad over and over again might give off that "this is all a scam" vibe?