The biggest barrier to true augmented vision is an HMD that can handle all the requirements.  I had the oppertunity to experience what Microvision, Vuzix and ORALab/EvoOpticks had to offer.  I’ll try to relate their talks and my experiences with their products and let you know if any of them have achieved augmented vision. 

Microvision – Ben Averch

Ben started the presentation during the Industrial section of Workshop Monday.  The first AR-style model Microvision tried was the Nomad which tried to be a hands-free automotive maintenance model.  The unit was plagued by poor ergonomics and eye strain.  It only used the red spectrum and they retired the product line in 2006 only two years after release. 

Microvision then changed their plans to achieve an AR enabled HMD by leveraging their military contracts.  The plan is to sell their Urban Warfare model (Ultra-vis) to the government and then use what they’ve learned to create a consumer model. 

They see a big market for a consumer HMD display but need to solve the remaining issues before its ready for the public.  I had an opportunity to try out their prototype HMD.  It wasn’t a full unit, but a bulky monocle on a stick.  While it didn’t give me an idea how it would function as a pair of sunglasses, it did give me a feel for the graphics.  I was impressed by the clarity of the color in the monocle.  The big problem I see for the first generation of HMDs will be the field of view.  This prototype only had a ~25degree field of vision.  The limited view will mean our early HMDs will only mimic our computer screens and not release the full spectrum of hands-free AR. 

Ben has written about his experience on his official Microvision blog and has said they expect a commercial product by 2011. 

It’s clear from the discussions I had with various industry members that a see-through wearable display that meets people’s expectations from both ergonomics and display performance is the big, obvious missing link in the AR solution story. We at Microvision are working hard to fill in this gap and create a technology solution that can allow this new market to take shape.

Ben also showed off their projector which at the time didn’t excite me much from an AR point of view.  However, after the key note speech from Mark Mine from Disnery Imagineering, I learned that the projector had a lot more going for it than I realized. 

Vuzix – Paul Travers

Paul gave us a nice history of HMDs including the failed hype of VR which has made getting money for HMDs harder to come by.  On a good note, Vuzix has a good track record of selling video glasses which gives them a good base to work from once they master the AR HMD.  Currently they’ve sold around 200,000 video glasses by marketing them the same way a HD TV would be sold.  This might mean that augmented reality’s best bet for widespread use is to be a Trojan horse within another accepted technology (similar to how Yelp gained AR eyeballs through their Monocle easter egg.) 

Unfortunately, Paul had to apologize a few times for misleading on the AR community about the “see-through AR HMDs” everyone thought were right around the corner with the 920Wrap.  He hopes they can reach market by 2010, but like Microvision they still have challenges to solve. 

I did get to try their video glasses, which were interesting, but I would have preferred to try out the glasses Ori tried at GDC.   Paul did say that see-through AR glasses would be priced from $199-349.  This sounds like a great price point that would help gain wider audiences.  I know I would buy one. 

ORALab/EvoOpticks

This presentation delved into more historical and technical realms rather than commercial usage.  Not a lot to pass along, but I did get to try their see-through HMD.  The view port was around 20 degrees and seen through two reflected mirrors on the screen rather than a laser created image.  They have no current plans for commercial production.   

And for the history buffs, the first patent for an HMD was by Albert B. Pratt in 1916. 

I wish Lumus had also attended ISMAR, but no such luck. 

Overall, I was disappointed that no HMD maker had a surprise announcement that they had a product ready for release Q1 2010.  Release dates of 2011 sound more like appeasement than real schedules.  Having experienced the products myself, I also realize the field of view will be a problem for early developers.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d be happy to have a HMD right now, even with a 15 degree field, but the small width will limit creativity.  Hopefully when they solve the lighting and weight issues they’ll also figure out how to achieve a 40 degree field of view. 

This past May, I predicted true Augmented Vision would occur around 2015.  After the demonstrations on Monday, I’m not going to change my prediction.  While I heard many quote Moore’s Law in regards to AR, I’m not buying it yet.  Moore’s Law is fed by billions (with B) of dollars which pushes the technology as fast as it can go.  AR is still languishing in VR’s dead space and has to catch a few wins of its own before it can start generating real cash to take advantage of Moore’s Law.   

Even if Microvision or Vuzix or Lumus release a commercial product in 2011, the software and apps to make the experience fulfilling won’t be available.  I also expect the first versions of the AR HMDs will only be bought by the early adopters.  It will take a few tries to make them lightweight, eye-strain free and with enough field of vision to keep people from having to rotate their head constantly.  I’m all for being wrong on this one, but I expect the road to widespread acceptance will be paved with a few missteps.  Cellphones took twenty years to go from the bag phone to the ultra-sleek smartphone, and while technology moves faster these days, I’m still sticking with my year 2015 prediction.

This past month the specter of augmented reality, which in the past had been mostly research papers and speculation, has slowly been turning into real products.  With a nice long three day weekend to relax, I thought I’d reflect on the more important happenings of augmented reality.

Augmented Reality Apps

Yelp

The hottest topic for augmented reality apps was the easter egg in the iPhone app Yelp.  With three shakes of the iPhone, the Monocle application would be unlocked allowing camera based AR.  The impact of this application on the news can be seen in this technorati tag tracker:

Wikitude Drive

Wikitude, the creators of the first reality browser, gave a preview of their augmented reality navigation system for the Android.  The navigational system called Wikitude Drive overlays point-to-point directions on the camera view.  Some concerns were expressed about safety for the driver, but this application is no different than any navigation system already on the market.  And for you iPhone junkies, don’t worry, they’ll be releasing it on that smartphone as well. 

And while I’m on Wikitude, they also released Wikitude 3.0, an enhanced version of wikitude.me.  Read the article for more details. 

Layar 2.0

Competing for the mindshare of future “reality browsers”, Layar has done a good job of getting its product noticed even though it came six months after the Wikitude app.  Layar is already onto version 2.1, making improvements to its browser like linking within Layars and sharing screenshots. 

Put-A-Spell

Living up to his promise of AR education games for kids, Ori’s company Ogmento brings us a demo of their Put-A-Spell game for young children. 

iPhone OS 3.1

Of course, this operating system isn’t an app, but its precursor to an assumed flood of AR apps we’re expecting to see when 3.1 finally becomes live.  Expected in September, grumblings of delays have been speculated based on progress in beta.  When it finally does drop, expect to see a huge spike in augmented reality articles. 

AR Goggles

Lumus

While we’re still a ways from augmented vision, its still nice to track progress of augmented reality goggles.  Ori Inbar gives us a peak into the progress of AR goggles in an interview with Zvi Lapidot, CEO of Lumus.  While we can’t expect to see a commercial product from Lumus until 2011, mostly due to a lack of VC funding, we can take a look at this demo from them.

Vuzix

While we’re still waiting for the AV920 Wrap to be released this fall, Vuzix has updated their website with a page with an AR Education Group.  This group will focus on training services for various industries from medical to military with both off-the-shelf training and custom. 

Nokia

At the recent SDForum, research fellow Kari Pulli, talked about Nokia’s take on mobile augmented reality.  They believe the future to be, not on handsets, but in AR goggles and are developing a prototype model.  The slide show can be seen here.

Interesting Articles

Eight months ago, I could keep up with all the discussion easily.  Now many new hats are being thrown into the ring.  I’d like to point out my favorite articles from around the ARNet.

Games Alfresco, Ori Inbar – Why People Get Excited About Augmented Reality  

Ori gives us a nice rundown of the influence of science fiction on technology and how augmented reality will bring us: x-ray vision, time travel and teleportation.

Ugo Trade, Tish Shute – Everything Everywhere: Thomas Wrobel’s Proposal for an Open Augmented Reality Network

Showing what a great discussion Thomas unleashed, the comment section was nearly as long as the article itself.  As a frequent contribuitor on the AR blogs, it was nice to see Thomas outline his vision for the future of augmented reality. 

Bruce Sterling – At the Dawn of the Augmented Reality Industry

This video was recorded at the Layar Launch Event.  Bruce Sterling, a promenant sci-fi author who helped bring about the cyberpunk movement, gives us a rundown of down-market cheesy AR, who’s leading the AR development race, what to call augmented reality and other ramblings on a fledgling industry.  Bruce is also writting regularly about augmented reality and other wired topics on his blog Beyond the Beyond. 

Marshall Kirkpatrick, ReadWriteWeb – Augmented Reality: 5 Barriers to a Web That’s Everywhere

The challenges to an augmented reality world are more than the sum of its parts.  Marshall breaks down these challenges in five parts: Social vs. Real-Time, UX, Spam and Security, Interoperability and Openness. 

Rouli Nir, Augmented Times – Looking for a Modern Day Chaplin

Rouli explains why we need more storytelling and mystery in our AR applications.  As he says, “content not technology is the way forward.”

This hits a nice cross-section of my favorite articles from the last month.  I also would like to point to the three articles on my own site that got the most traffic: Proposal: Augmented Reality Scale, 10 Things Your AR App Must Have to Succeed, and 10 Franchises That Need Augmented Reality.

I’d like to say that I discussed all the major happenings from the past month, but the volume of AR information coming out lately makes that impossible.  For the items I have missed, I suggest checking out the Weekly Linkfest on Games Alfresco/Augmented Times (of course, most of my readers, also read that site, but for those that aren’t yet):

 Weekly Linkfest – Sept 6th

WeeklyLinkfest – August 30th

Weekly Linkfest – August 23rd

Weekly Linkfest – August 16th

Lastly, if you’re still not on the augmented reality bandwagon, I present to you the most recent augmented reality trends graph on Google trends.

While this is not confirmed, Techdare suspects that the OS 3.1 will be delayed because of a big Apple event on September 9th and reports from some developers that the OS needs more beta testing before release. 

What does this mean for augmented reality hype?  Not much really.  As we’ve seen some applications have already been snuck into the app store already.  I reported the Yelp app just last week (and I’m still wishing I had the newest iPhone to try it out) which garnered most of the recent interest in the fledgling technology.  All those AR apps waiting on the OS 3.1 will still be there, and will still get their moment in the spotlight when they’re released.