Written by Joe Stangarone
Augmented reality is a field of technology still in its infancy. Aside from a few niche markets, it is something still very uncommon in the larger marketplace of consumer electronics. This, however, is likely something that will change sooner rather than later.
Lately augmented reality devices have been getting a lot of press because of devices in development that users will actually wear some of - if not all - the time. The most mentioned in this category is indisputably Google Glass, which is the giant search-engine company's first device aimed at the wearable augmented reality market. Google Glass has yet to reach market in full-scale production, but the amount of media attention it has garnered would cause one to wonder if other companies are far behind with their own products. As it turns out, a few are certainly right on the heels of Google Glass with their own prototypes, and the following is a brief synopsis of some options out there.
OPTINVENT ORA
Similar to Google Glass in that it is a set of glasses using retinal projection technology to display data, the ORA-1 is the current developer's model. The company has a Kickstarter campaign in the works in order to develop a new model to take to the broader consumer market. Although very similar to Glass in functionality, the company claims their technology is superior in terms of viewing angle, screen size, contrast and power efficiency. Interestingly, the ORA has what is called "Flip-Vu", which enables the user to switch weather the display is directly in the line of sight or below it. With this , one can choose to have a more immersive experience or keep the info coming in contained to the sidelines. What may be most notable of all, however, is that the planned retail cost will be around $400 - almost a quarter of what the $1500 Glass is currently going for.
TOSHIBA GLASS
Toshiba's Glass is another set of eye glasses aimed at bringing data directly to a user's line of sight. It has an interesting feature in that the image is projected not onto a prism like Google Glass, but rather directly onto the lens of the glasses. In the lens are a set of narrow prisms that then reflect the image into the eye. By doing this, it is very difficult to see the equipment while looking at the lenses. However, it is not difficult to spot the device while looking at the frames. The display is not really its own computer but rather a projector that will be run by a user's smart phone. The glasses then will actually be connected to this phone by a cable out the back. This makes the glasses more of an extended display rather than their own device, and they are catching a little heat because of their non-wireless set up.
SONY SMART EYEGLASSES
Still in the development stage and hence not a lot known about it, the biggest differentiator for Sony's foray into the smart glasses market seems to be that it will have an integrated screen that will serve to be another display of the user's smartphone. Also notable is that Sony has been an electronic giant for a lot longer than some of its rivals in this market, and that is something they plan to leverage in terms of software and optic technology.
BAIDU EYE
Baidu is the Google of China, and they too are throwing their hat in the ring for a wearable device to rival Google's Glass. Curiously, their version does not include a screen, but rather connects to the user's mobile device wirelessly. This was to extend battery life and increase comfort, the company says. In essence the built-in camera surveys the world around the user and relays any pertinent data about it to the user's mobile device via an app. The model is still in prototype stage and no price has yet been set.
EPSON MONVERIO BT-200
Epson's augmented-reality enabled glasses are one of the few if not the only to have a fully transparent screen mounted in from of each eye. Rather heavy in weight and clunky in appearance, this model is not targeted to the larger consumer market. Instead, it seems that Epson envisions this current iteration to be very useful in industry-specific applications, such as construction or maintenance and repair work.
VUZIX M100
The Vuzix M100 is a stand-alone, wearable computer that mounts on to glasses or a headset. Similar in functionalities to many of its competitors, the main difference is that rather than projecting the display to a clear lens or prism, there is an actual, very small screen in front of the user's eye. The device appears to be fully adjustable so a user can position that screen to their liking, but it wouldn't have the see-through element that seems to be popular among similar devices. That being said, it does have a major advantage in being the only such device released to the consumer market.
Currently there are many different ideas being tested of how best to enable users to wear augmented reality devices. Being such a new technology, it is difficult for anyone to know what will be the best option, as only time will tell what makes the most sense for the average consumer in the real world. One thing seems to be certain however, and that is that many companies - big and small - believe that there enormous market potential with this technology. With that it is safe to say we all will be seeing a lot more of augmented reality in the future, wether or not its through our own glasses.
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