During CES 2020 last month VRFocus saw the potential of augmented reality (AR) collaboration demoing Spatial’s software solution. Today, the company has revealed a new effort in partnership with several companies including AR headset manufacturer Nreal to accelerate mass-market adoption of 5G-optimized AR collaboration tools.
5G looks set to become the technology of 2020 as compatible devices begin to flood the market. Hence why more and more companies are seeking to employ 5G across a range of use cases, AR collaboration being one of them.
Spatial and Nreal have teamed up with Qualcomm Technologies, LG Uplus, KDDI, and Deutsche Telekom to help make this a reality as soon as possible. Each company will work together to share technical requirements and best practices, with Spatial’s device-agnostic collaboration software, coupled with Nreal’s latest headset ‘Nreal Light’ offering the first 5G combination. Spatial also plans to make its platform available on consumer 5G devices later this year.
“Consumers will be able to work or interact with anyone, anywhere as if sitting next to each other,” said Co-Founder and CEO Anand Agarawala in a statement. “Spatial is already in use and being actively explored by a significant portion of the Fortune 1000. A large part of that interest is driven by improved access to hardware and, as 5G networks and mass-market headsets like Nreal Light become commonplace, we’re throwing jet fuel into that fire. This combination of hardware, chipset, and carrier giants is a perfect storm for AR just like what drove the mobile revolution in the early 2000s with smartphones, high-speed mobile data, and app stores.”
“The 5G networks will bring out the change in the way people communicate. The 3G networks enabled voice call to video call. The 4G networks make that video call popular to the public. The 5G networks will promise the communication in virtual reality with virtual 3D avatar which makes a video call even more realistic,” said Daewon Song, the head of LG Uplus Future Device Unit. “That is why LG Uplus is working with Spatial for telepresence solution, to prove the validity and potential of Spatial’s Telepresence on Nreal AR glasses.
Spatial’s platform is already available on headsets like Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap 1 in a limited capacity as customers need to signup to unlock the application. The Nreal Light developer kit is available to pre-order now for $1,199.00, weighing in at 88g whilst sporting a 1080P display with a 52° field of view (FoV). As further details of the project are released, VRFocus will let you know.
