Vuzix have emerged as one of the leaders in the world of augmented reality (AR) smartglasses technology, particularly in the area of enterprise-focussed applications for the technology. Vuzix has now announced that it is working with Qualcomm to develop the next generation of AR smartglasses technology.
Qualcomm recently announced its new Snapdragon XR1 platform, which has been designed specifically with smartglasses and other wearables, Vuzix believe the new XR1 platform is a perfect fit for its continued work in AR smartglasses technology development.
The next iteration of the Vuzix Blade line as well as the Vuzix M-series of smartglasses is planned to utilise the Snapdragon XR1’s on-board capabilities to deliver higher quality visual, audio and voice interactions for users as well as create a product with a smaller and more comfortable form factor.
The Snapdragon XR1 included an ARM-based multicore CPU, vector processor, Graphics processor (GPU) and the Qualcomm AI engine. The XR1 allows for more energy-efficient machine learning and better processing for AR use-cases such as object classification and motion tracking.
“Vuzix has a long history of delivering augmented reality eyewear to their enterprise customers. Their focus on optics, experience, and form factor will serve them well as the AR market grows,” said Hugo Swart, Head of Virtual and Augmented Reality Business Group, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We believe our collaboration with Vuzix will help drive increased excitement and adoption for standalone AR in both the enterprise and consumer segments.”
“Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR1 platform will help Vuzix advance our AR Smart Glasses in terms of power efficiency and deliver smoother user experiences along with better overall system performance,” said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix. “Qualcomm’s XR1 platform combined with other leading technologies will enable Vuzix to push the envelope on form factor on our next generation waveguide based Vuzix Blade™ Smart Glasses without sacrificing the overall performance of the glasses.”
Vuzix products based on the snapdragon XR1 platform are expected to begin coming to market sometime in 2019. VRFocus will bring you further news as it becomes available.