Word on the street is that Google is working on building their own augmented reality headset, similar to Microsoft’s Hololens and Magic Leap’s Magic Leap One . We can’t wait to try it out! The possibilities for AR are limitless – you could walk through your new house before moving in or study human anatomy by peering inside your own body.
Quick Overview
Google is building an augmented reality headset. The company hopes it will feel like something from science fiction, said Google’s vice president of virtual reality. He said Google has been working on technology for years, and a project called Project iris is finally ready to show off. The device will be able to superimpose information and graphics over what you see in front of you with your own eyes, without needing glasses or other equipment. No launch date or price was announced but he added that more news would be coming soon about when it will become available for consumers. Google has made some early prototypes available to developers who work with new technologies.
How will it work?
Project Iris is Google’s experimental AR headset that uses two cameras to project images onto your lenses. The prototype device can track objects in front of you, so if you place a cup of coffee on a table, it will stay there as you walk around and view it from various angles. You can also share what you see with other people who aren’t wearing Project Iris by using an app on your phone or tablet. Google hasn’t said much about how we might interact with virtual objects through these headsets yet—and it remains to be seen whether they could ever actually replace our real-world environment. Computing power will only get smaller and more powerful in time.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality—or AR—lets you see information projected onto your view of reality. It is a way to look at and interact with digital content in our physical world, providing a window into a virtual one. The most common use for AR is for smartphone apps that project information onto your screen using camera tricks. However, we’re now seeing significant investment from companies like Google in AR headsets, which could allow us to project 3D or 360-degree content directly into our line of sight—like holograms. For instance, Project Iris could potentially let you take virtual meetings or immerse yourself in a game right around your coffee table.
What we think about it?
If a VR headset completely immerses you in a digital world, an AR headset will layer digital content onto your real-world surroundings. Project Iris is a Google project that builds on Project Tango’s 3D mapping technology to superimpose virtual objects on top of real-world surfaces and make them interactive. One demo had users creating digital paintings on top of physical canvases, which were also displayed inside their headsets as part of a virtual museum tour.
We think Google has plans for more than just Project Iris.
