Augmented Reality

Construction transformed in 2020

Big projects need big solutions: AECOM stays with the plan for its infrastructure projects with the help of established BIM practices at the company. (Source: AECOM)   There probably is no good time for a pandemic, but this particular Coronavirus shutdown hits the construction industry at a particularly bad time. Spring means construction, but for most of the U.S. construction … Read more

Arm Mali-G78 GPU

Arm introduced their latest SoC IP design, the Mali-G78, and claims that the GPU offers 25% better performance as a result of architectural, process, and other improvements compared to the old Mali-G77 2019 devices. The Mali G78 offers support for up to 24 cores, the most ever for Arm, and their new async technology improves scalability, and reduces energy consumption. Arm claims they’ve achieved … Read more

Augmented reality and coronavirus

Spot checks of people at major interfaces such as transportation centers is a critically important aspect of measuring the spread, or decline in the pandemic. Augmented reality is a perfect application for making observations. The combination of fast, thermal measurements, facial recognition, and/or tagging, and data-basing is needed if socially challenging aspect of getting it under control. Several airports outside … Read more

Facebook’s AR glasses getting closer

Plessey, a developer of microLED technology for AR/MR displays in Devon, UK, said they have decided to work with Facebook to help the company achieve its vision of the next computing platform. Plessey designs and manufactures full-field emissive microLED displays, which promise both high pixel-density and high brightness. Under a new commercial agreement, Plessy’s LED manufacturing operations will be dedicated … Read more

Varjo adds chroma-keying for realtime AR

Finnish-based Varjo has added realtime chroma-keying and object-tracking to its XR-1 Developer Edition headset. Chroma-keying, also known as green-screening, has been used extensively in film making and broadcasting (think scrimmage line). Varjo has added that capability and is claiming to be the first company to do so for mixed reality devices. With object tracking, says the company, professional users can … Read more

Can LetinAR deliver lightweight consumer glasses?

If AR glasses are ever to become common accessories for daily life and work, they are going to have to be lightweight, comfortable, and indistinguishable from prescription or sunglasses. For those glasses to be really useful, they’re going to have to be powerful—able to deliver a blended view of digital information with the real world. LetinAR, a Korean company, says … Read more

Lynx’s standalone XR HMD

Claiming to be the first 6DoF standalone passthrough video AR headset, the three-year-old, 10-person, Paris-based startup Lynx has introduced their Lynx-R1 that is scheduled to ship this summer. Introduced at the 2020 SPIE conference in San Francisco on February 3rd, the HMD uses an occluded display as a VR headset does with pass-through video for AR, making it a mixed … Read more

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Platform

  Qualcomm declared its Snapdragon XR2 Platform as the world’s first 5G-supported extended reality (XR) platform. It unites Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G and AI developments with XR technology to usher in what the company says will be a new era of mobile computing. Qualcomm says the platform has custom features and boasts of multiple firsts that can be scaled across AR, … Read more