AR/VR + a Trip Down Memory Lane

4:40

Dr. Ryan Ries here. This week we're diving into the latest developments in the AR/VR world.

As someone who's been in the trenches of AR development (more on that later), I can tell you — the competition for dominance in smart wearables is very interesting to see.

And currently, I’d say there are no real winners.

Recently, Magic Leap modified its sales approach to licensing their optic stack after industries have continued to slowly roll out AR use cases and general adoption still seems years away.

Google Seems to be Eyeing the AR Prize

Just when we thought Meta had the smart glasses game on lockdown with their Ray-Ban collaboration, Google seems to be picking up speed on their wearables.

Word on the street (well, in the Financial Times, actually) is that Google's courting EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban, to potentially put their Gemini AI assistant into future smart glasses.

Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, sources say it's "extremely unlikely" that Meta will lose its partnership.

But the fact that Google is even in the conversation shows how high the stakes are in this space.

Why This Matters:

AI Integration: This isn't just about slapping a brand name on some fancy specs. The real game-changer here is the integration of powerful AI assistants like Gemini directly into wearables.
Market Disruption: Google's move signals that the big tech players see enormous potential in AR glasses. This competition could accelerate innovation and potentially lower prices for consumers.
Ecosystem Play: For companies like Google and Meta, smart glasses aren't just standalone products — they're gateways to their broader ecosystems of services and data.

A Walk Down Memory Lane: My AR Journey

Now, I can't talk about AR without getting a bit nostalgic.

Back in my days at DAQRI, we were pushing the boundaries of what was possible with AR in professional settings.

We developed the DAQRI Smart Helmet and Smart Glasses, which were showcased at CES and aimed at revolutionizing industries like manufacturing and construction.

Our Smart Helmet, powered by Intel tech, boasted features like:

Thermal vision for predictive maintenance
360-degree sensor arrays
Live equipment data visualization

Here’s what the Smart Helmet looked like.

And here’s what the Smart Glasses looked like.

These devices were selling for $5000 a pop (on par with Microsoft's HoloLens at the time) and were truly at the cutting edge of industrial AR applications.

Ahhh, that was a nice trip down memory lane!

Now let’s look to the future

While consumer-focused smart glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta are gaining traction, I believe we're just scratching the surface of what's possible. The integration of more powerful AI, improved display technology, and longer battery life will open up use cases we haven't even imagined yet.

Key areas I’ll be watching:

AI Integration: How will assistants like Gemini change the way we interact with our environment through AR?
Form Factor: Can we achieve the processing power of a Smart Helmet in a sleek, everyday wearable?
Privacy Concerns: As these devices become more ubiquitous, how will we address the social and ethical implications?

The Future is (Augmented) Reality

From my experience, I can tell you that the potential of AR to transform how we work, play, and interact with the world is immense.

While we've come a long way from the early days of clunky headsets and limited use cases, we're still in the early stages of this technological revolution.

The re-entry of players like Google into the consumer smart glasses space, coupled with the ongoing development of more powerful XR platforms, tells me that we're approaching a tipping point.

The next few years could see AR devices become as commonplace as smartphones are today.

What do you think? Are you ready for a world where your glasses are your computer, your phone, and your AI assistant all rolled into one? Or do you have concerns about this AR-powered future? Let me know what you think. I’m always curious to hear opinions as this technology rapidly evolves.

Until next time,

Ryan

And now, without further ado, here’s this week’s AI-generated image and the prompt I used.

DALLE2~1-4

"Generate an image of a muppet traveling down memory lane. The muppet is reminiscing on his experience developing AR glasses. The muppet is wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans, and his t-shirt has the AWS logo."