Tag: augmented reality technology

Augmented reality glasses patent awarded to Apple

| February 24, 2015

The technology involved appears to be wearables that will connect to and interact with the iPhone.

Apple Inc. has now been awarded a patent for a type of augmented reality glasses that would function based on a wireless connection with the iPhone and would possibly offer the wearer a three dimensional AR functionality not entirely unlike that of the halted Google Glass product.

The original filing for this AR technology device patent occurred back in September 2008.

The patent involves a mountable device that could be created in the form of wearable technology such as goggles or hats or that could be attached to hats or helmets. The patent doesn’t specifically discuss virtual or augmented reality, but it does show a device that has the potential of offering a split screen capability in order to display several different image frames in order to provide three dimension-like image depth through stereoscopic imaging.

The patent also shows possible augmented reality glasses that could adjust media display beyond the glasses lenses.

Augmented Reality - iPhoneThis would display the images at a distance of about 4 meters (about 13 feet), instead of 20 millimeters (about ¾ inch). That is the concept behind AR technology and it has, therefore, been assumed in many reports that this tech will be the focus of those wearables.

That said, Apple could choose to create integration of further advanced VR or AR functions into a device if it chose to do so, and could opt not to progress with the development. That said, as is always the case with Apple, it declined the opportunity to comment on any of its products that are still in development and that have not yet been officially unveiled.

This technology comes at a time in which Google has recently announced that its own two year old Explorer Program for its Google Glass augmented reality glasses has been shut down. Moreover, that company has hired a former exec from Apple, Tony Fadell, at the head of the company’s redevelopment efforts. It has stated that it will continue to sell the device to enterprise customers, but it is very clear that the company has taken a step backward from the route that it had been taking with that wearable technology.

Augmented reality glasses from Sony are attractive and coming soon

| February 23, 2015

The wearable technology gadget will be sold for $840 and has been receiving high praise for its style.

Sony has been tossing various ideas for augmented reality headsets around for the last while, in order to provide competition for the Google Glass, but now that the competition has taken a step back, it appears to be a strong time to be able to launch its own device into the market.

For a while, Sony had been thinking about a type of clip-on headset but now it will be a full set of glasses.

The SmartEyeGlass SED-E1 Developer Edition is not yet a consumer product, but it was previewed a number of months ago and it will be arriving in ten different countries. As of March, it will be available in those nations for $840 (¥100,000 yen, or €670). Sony is calling its augmented reality glasses “holographic waveguide technology” that is built into 3mm AR lenses that are worn like typical eyeglasses and that display content directly in the eye line of the wearer.

These augmented reality glasses from Sony are not the first entrance of the brand into wearable technology.


That said, it is the first step into the market in the form of glasses. A demo video for the device was recently released to provide more details about the gadget. This device is moving forward at a time in which the industry is still waiting for the HoloLens from Microsoft, as well as the next version of Glass, the current version of which is no longer being manufactured.

The SmartEyeGlass SED-E1 looks notably more like HoloLens than Glass, as it has a basic green monochrome text display and an up to 15fps diagram display. It also has a3MP camera built into it, making it possible for video and pictures to be taken. This makes it possible for developers to use images taken through the wearable technology in the creation of their apps.

These augmented reality glasses are compatible with Android smartphones and feature a speaker, microphone, battery (providing 80 minutes of life when the camera is active, and 150 minutes without it), Bluetooth, touch controls, and NFC technology.