Tag: ar glasses

New AR goggles are giving people who are blind in one eye the chance for 3D vision.

A university in Japan has just developed a software that has allowed 3D glasses to be converted into a high tech augmented reality that provides individuals who are blind in one eye with the ability to experience depth perception through the single healthy eye.

This is accomplished by compiling the images from the perspective of both eyes and projecting it to one.

The result is that even with a single eye, the wearer of the augmented reality glasses is capable of experiencing the perception of depth. This is a capability that is typically available only to people who have two functioning eyes. This is because the brain would usually require the perspective of both eyes to be able to compile the necessary information for judging depth.

However, the software combined with the glasses creates an augmented reality replication of that effect.

Depth perception is the ability to judge the distance that exists between two objects. For instance, gauging how far your hand is from your coffee cup on the table, or deciding how close you are to the car ahead of you in traffic. Without this technology, a single eye is not capable of providing adequate signals to the brain that will provide that perception of depth.

The augmented reality glasses that have been created to overcome that problem, even with one seeing eye, were developed by a research team at the University of Yamanashi in Japan. They used commercially available 3D glasses and linked them with the software that they developed for producing the experience of depth perception in the eye of the wearer.

At the head of the team was Xiaoyang Mao. Together, they used the Wrap 920AR glasses from Vizux Corporation, which are sold as 3D glasses for individuals with vision in both eyes. These glasses were converted into an augmented reality experience through the two camera lenses that are installed in front of each eye on what would otherwise appear to be a pair of tinted sunglasses.

The camera lenses in the augmented reality glasses capture images that would be seen by both eye. These are fed into a computer, which uses the software to generate an image for a single eye using a “defocus” effect, where some images are more crisply defined than others. This produces the same effect as depth perception, but is transmitted through a single eye.

Microsoft patents documents augmented reality glasses project

Microsoft has been showing a great deal of interest in augmented reality lately. The technology company appears to be ready to take its interest to the next level, according to a patent filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent filing from Microsoft documents plans for the development of a pair of augmented reality glasses, very similar to those being developed by Google. Microsoft believes that its glasses will be more than capable of competing with Google’s Project Glass.

AR system could be used for entertainment

The patent covers “a system and method to present a user wearing a head-mounted display with supplemental information when viewing a live event.” Essentially, the augmented reality glasses will be able to provide digital information concerning whatever is being viewed, allowing users to browse this content through a variety of contextual displays. The system has immediate implications for entertainment, as Microsoft is expected to leverage augmented reality technology in gaming and video. Augmented reality glasses could be used for much more than that, however.

Augmented reality shows potential in mobile commerce

Augmented reality has gained significant traction in marketing because of its interactive capabilities. Consumers have responded well to campaigns that make use of the technology in the past, leading to growing demand for the technology today. This interest is beginning to bleed into the realm of mobile commerce, where augmented reality technology could be used to make shopping more engaging and interactive.

Microsoft aims to compete with Google and others

Google has managed to generate a large amount of hype around the prospects of augmented reality glasses with Project Glass. Microsoft aims to overcome the challenge presented by Project Glass with it own augmented reality glasses. Whether the company will succeed in its endeavor has yet to be seen, but Microsoft is not alone in its interest of augmented reality. Sony is also planning to develop a pair of augmented reality glasses that could have a wide range of uses from entertainment to mobile commerce.