Audio equipment designer and developer Bose and introduced an augmented reality (AR) audio platform at South by Southwest (SXSW).
The platform will be the world’s first audio AR platform in which a user is able to use glasses to hear sound. Dubbed Bose AR, the platform does not change what a user is looking at, but thanks does know what a user is looking at. This allows Bose AR to add an audible layer of information and experiences, rather then superimposing visual objects onto the real world and completely changing the users view. This audible layer is said to make every day better, easier, more meaningful, and more productive, according to Bose.
John Gordon, vice president of the Consumer Electronics Division at Bose commented on the announcement by stating: “Bose AR represents a new kind of augmented reality— one that’s made for anyone and every day, it places audio in your surroundings, not digital images, so you can focus on the amazing world around you— rather than a tiny display. It knows which way you’re facing, and can instantly connect that place and time with endless possibilities for travel, learning, music and more. And it can be added to products and apps we already use and love, removing some of the big obstacles that have kept AR on the sidelines.”
Bose AR is debuting with a miniscule, wafer-thin acoustics package developed specifically for the platform, that is a testament to the future of mobile micro-sound with power and clarity that will impress anyone. This allows it to be built into headphones, eyewear, helmets and more, with no compromise to the existing functionality. Once more, Bose AR is able to function with the use of head gestures, voice commands or a tap on the wearable control content – replacing the need to swipe, type or tap a touchscreen.
Alongside the reveal of Bose AR the company have shown off their first wearable for the platform in the form of a prototype pair of glasses. The Bluetooth compatible glasses, complete with a microphone, have the Bose AR acoustic package embedded discreetly into each arm, meaning they are fit, function and look like standard eyewear but sound and function like Bose headphones. Other uses that the Bose AR platform could be put to work with includes learning by allowing a user to translate a sign just by looking at it or even prodive the history behind a painting a user might be viewing.
Bose hopes that the Bose AR platform will be used by many to further enhance a users day-to-day life, with approved developers and manufacturers welcome to collaborate on the project and develop it further. Currently Bose is working with ASICS Studio, Strava, TripAdvisor, TuneIn, and Yelp to develop more for Bose AR. The company is also collaborating with research institutions, including the MIT Media Lab to advance human interaction related to augmented audio reality, and the NYU Future Reality Lab.
Developers interested in the Bose AR platform can sign-up for more information and the Bose AR SDK over on Bose’s developer site.
For more on Bose AR in the future, keep reading VRFocus.