We first reported on Atheer Labs in 2014 (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 3), but the company has been largely silent since then. The Atheer AiR is a stylish AR headset, which is more compact than most of its competitors. A production version was announced in November, and will be shipping soon (with optics from Lumus). The differentiating feature for Atheer is its ability to track voice, gestures and motion to interact with content.
Targeting businesses (specifically Fortune 1,000 companies), Atheer has also created the Atheer AiR Enterprise Suite. This is a cloud-based software solution used for real-time collaboration. A subscription costs $500 per person per year, but Atheer AiR customers (the headset costs $4,000) will receive six months for free.
Dialog Semiconductor was promoting its own IoT sensor platform, the SmartBond DA14583. It is a 16 x 15 x 5mm wireless sensor module with 12 degrees of freedom, combining a Bluetooth SoC; six-axis inertial measurement unit; three-axis geomagnetic field sensor; integrated environmental unit; and smart sensor fusion software. The device can calculate the X, Y and Z position of an object, process it and send this information to an app. Dialog was also showcasing a smartwatch developer platform with an E Ink display.
Although not new to us, Epson was demonstrating the newest version of its Moverio headset, the BT-300 (Epson Ditches LCD for OLED in Moverio). The headset uses OLED microdisplays, projecting images from them to the wearer’s retina. These glasses were only introduced at MWC 2016, and so most show attendees had not seen them – Epson’s stand was very busy.
The presence of Jaguar-Land Rover was a bit of a surprise – what was a car maker doing at a wearable show? Showing off a connected car, of course! The F-Pace Land Rover is a 2016 model supplied with a wearable called the ‘Activity Key’. This is a simple rubber band, like an activity tracker, that can be used as a key.
Aimed at active users, the idea behind the Activity Key is to make your normal keys completely safe when you’re out hiking, climbing and white water rafting. The regular key fob can be locked in the car and disabled (they will not work, even if someone does get hold of them); the Activity Key is then used to unlock the car, by pressing it to the ‘J’ in Jaguar on the tailgate. There is no battery in the wearable, so the wearer can leave their car for as long as they like.
Jaguar-Land Rover has also pushed a remote control app for the F-Pace, which was launched on the Apple Watch earlier in the year, to Android Wear
Oura was winner of a CES Innovation Award this year. The firm makes a ‘wellness ring’ (connects to a smartphone through Bluetooth LE) and is able to measure metrics such as sleep patterns and activity. It contains motion, pulse, heart rate and skin temperature sensors. The ring itself costs €300 and is made of ceramic. (Introducing the Ōura Ring “Wellness Computer”)
Over in the Innovation Zone we happened upon PitPat – a company that makes wearables for pets! The smart collar being demonstrated is able to track a dog’s activities and report back to the owner through a smartphone app. Truly, we are living in the age of wonders.
Samsung Semiconductor didn’t seem that interested in engaging with customers: the two members of staff were sitting and eating lunch, ignoring attendees, when I visited. It was still difficult to get their attention later, even as the only person on the stand! After (eventually) managing that, I heard that the firm was there to show its own sensors and chips for wearables.
A partner device on show was the VicoVR from 3DiVi. Launched at CES 2016, this Kinect-like product is a full-body motion tracker that links to new Android and iOS gaming devices via Bluetooth. These include Samsung’s Gear VR, Android TV, Apple TV and new Android-based game consoles. A dev kit is available now, with a consumer launch set for the second half of 2016.
Silicon Labs was presenting to itself to people in the wearable industry who might not be familiar with its business – i.e., non-engineers! The company is a contributor to the Thread IPv6 wireless protocol (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 29), and told us that the first certified devices should be released this summer.
Two different apps were being demonstrated for Sony‘s Smart Eyeglass (Sony’s Single-Lens Display Module is Glass Competitor). One was of the sort that we expect to see for AR systems: a warehouse app that can deliver instructions and stock information to users, from APX Labs. The other was by Opera Touch, and was aimed at opera attendees. The app is able to display music and lyrics on the microdisplay, in the wearer’s selected language. Content is delivered from a central server in the opera house.
The most-cited danger of using virtual reality headsets is the fact that you are unaware of your surroundings. Using the technology for a product launch sounds great until someone trips over the coffee table. Enter Vizuality Studio, which can take the danger out of VR. The Jersey-based firm provides the headsets, six-degrees-of-freedom units (a control that turns into a torch, a wand or similar inside the experience) and the space (‘motion pods’) for a VR project.
Like Epson, Vuzix was showing off existing products: the M3000 smart glasses and iWear Video Headphones, both first seen at CES this year (Digital Experience Has Lots to See and AR / VR Device Round – Up).
Zappar delivers augmented reality content to any device with a camera and ability to download the app (also called Zappar – a portmanteau of ‘Zap’ – because it’s fast – ‘App’ and ‘AR’). It is mainly intended to be used for short-form pieces of fun content, like games and animation. However, professional customers also see uses for it; the firm does a lot of business with architecture firms, who can build 3D models of proposed buildings and show them to their clients. Zappar’s functionality can also be embedded into other companies’ apps to retain the same user experience.
Unlike similar systems, like Aurasma, Zappar does not have to ‘see’ a whole image (for instance, a film poster) to begin playing content; it works through a ‘Zap Code’. It is a little bit like a QR code, although the company dislikes the comparison – mainly due to the negative connotations around QR technology! Martin Stahel, Zappar’s sales director, said that it is easy to localise content because only the code needs to be changed; not an entire poster.
