Category: Vuzix

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Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses Introduce Vuforia Support

As previously reported, Vuzix have had a good year, deriving much benefit from the increased interest in use of augmented reality (AR) for business and manufacturing applications. In an effort to extend its reach still further, Vuzix have been working with PTC to introduce support for PTC’s Vuforia platform to the M300 line of smart glasses.

Vuzix have long been a company aiming at improving business outcomes with the use of AR technology, an area that has seen a rise in interest with the launch of Apple’s ARKit and the re-launch of Google Glass an an enterprise-focussed solution. Vuforia is one of the most popular software platforms for AR application development, and the introduction of Vuforia support for the M300 smart glasses will make it easier for developers to create apps for the device.

Vuzix has worked closely with PTC to optimise Vuforia for the Intel Atom processor and Android OS used by the M300 smart glasses. Vuforia developers can now download the Unity 2017.3 Beta or the Vuforia Early Access release for the Vuzix M300 on the Vuzix developer portal in order to begin working on applications for the device.

vuforia header

“This is an important milestone for AR in the enterprise, where hands-free devices are critical to adoption. Enterprise developers and solution providers can now develop and deploy Vuforia applications on the M300 – a proven device in the enterprise,” said Jay Wright, President, Vuforia at PTC.

“We are excited for our M300 Smart Glasses to be fully supported by the Vuforia AR platform,” said Paul Travers, CEO and president, Vuzix. “Vuforia will enable us to expand our market opportunities across various enterprise market verticals while also helping us to differentiate the M300 versus the competition.”

The Vuzix M300 smart glasses are currently being shipped to 45 countries worldwide, with plans to expand to a further ten countries over the next few months.

VRFocus will bring you further news on Vuzix as it becomes available.

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Vuzix Posts Business Update and Q3 Financial Status

Since the rise of augmented reality (AR) for business and commercial use, Vuzix and its line of enterprise-focussed smartglasses have come to prominence. The company has now announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2017.

The attention being devoted to AR applications and hardware appears to be paying off for Vuzix, with the company reporting a 141% increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2016. Its line of smartglasses is doing particularly well, hitting the milestone of over $1m for the first time, representing a 171% increase from the same time last year, and a 45% increase from Q2 of 2017.

The company is also reporting gains in revenues from its engineering services area, an increase associated with its work for Toshiba for a project which is expected to complete sometime in the fourth quarter of 2017, which will result in an estimated $221,000 of revenue for Q4 as the new product is moved into production for Toshiba some time in 2018. The opening of the offstore manufacturing plant for the M300 smartglasses line has proved beneficial, allowing for improved gross margins on sales of that product.

“We saw direct product gross margin improvements from our flagship enterprise device, the M300 in the third quarter compared to the second quarter of 2017. And while our third quarter smart glasses sales were impacted by limited supply of inventory due to some manufacturing challenges related to the M300, the Company achieved record quarterly smart glasses product revenue despite these headwinds,” said Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix. “The manufacturing challenges have been addressed by our offshore contract manufacturer and their production line is now producing M300s in high volume. During the third quarter, we continued to leverage our industry leading optics and wearable display technology and added a third Tier-1 consumer electronic customer. This new Tier-1 customer is working with us to develop a consumer product using Vuzix waveguides and projector engines that is unrelated to smart glasses.”

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on developments in the VR and AR industry.

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AWE Europe to Host Nvidia, Avegant, Vuzix and More

Augmented World Expo (AWE) is returning to Munich with its 2nd annual European conference and expo this October, and the initial line-up for the event has been revealed. AWE Europe 2017 will showcase the latest in AR+VR from Audi, Avegant, Bosch, DAQRI, Epson, Fraunhofer, Holo-light, Nvidia, ODG, RE’FLEKT, Volkswagen, Vuforia, Vuzix, Wayfair, Wikitude and more as part of a comprehensive lineup of conference keynotes and panels, exhibits, networking events and breakout sessions.

Vuzix iWearAugmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) continues its steady growth across the globe, and AWE is building strength in Europe with attendees expected to exceed 1,500. With over 100 speakers and exhibitors planned, additional highlights revealed thus far include startups like AGCO Corporation, cognitiveVR, Fringefy, gestigon, Heavy Projects, Holo-Light, IGNYTE, INS Insider Navigation Systems, Innovation.Rocks, Interglass, Joinpad, LC-Tec, Massless, Optinvent, Proceedix, RE’FLEKT, Super Ventures, THX, Ubimax, UpSkill, ViewAR, Vuframe and more.

AWE EU 2017 will take place 19th – 20th October 2017, Munich. More information regarding the speakers, exhibitors and general registration is available at the official AWE EU 2017 website. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on the global AWE events.

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Ubimax Launches Frontline A New Enterprise AR Platform

We’ve already seen that augmented reality (AR) and business can be a good fit. From using the technology to do more accurate stock control, to using AR to detect faults and manufacturing defects, wearable technology can be valuable to businesses. Wearable Technology manufacturer Ubimax are using this capability to launch a new AR platform specifically for Enterprise use.

The new platform, titled Frontline, integrates three different AR products, xPick, xMake, xInspect and xAssist in order to offer an end-to-end solution for functions such as production, deployment, operation and quality control.

The new Frontline platform is compatible with the most common smart glasses technology currently on the market, including Vuzix M300, Google Glass Enterprise Edition and Microsoft HoloLens. Ubimax claim that the new Frontline software suite offers significant improvements over previous AR and wearable technology solutions previously offered to businesses.

The software is already being distributed to some of Ubimax’s customers. Ubimax says that customers who have already rolled out Ubimax Frontline have seen significant improvements. Samsung are currently using the software, and Ubimax have released figures saying that Samsung have seen an increase in production speed of 22% and a 10% reduction in error rate compared to figures gathered before Ubimax Frontline was in use.

The software is being made available for manufacturing, retail, logistics and other business interests. Ubimax are hoping that the Frontline software suite will become as ubiquitous as Microsoft Office.

VRFocus will bring you further news on Ubimax AR products as it becomes available.

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Vuzix Completes Move To Higher Volume Manufacturing Plants

Vuzix have been steadily ramping up its profile, from creating numerous partnerships with various types of business for access to its smart glasses technology, to appearing at various industry events to promote its technology, Vuzix have become well-known in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) circles. In order to keep pace with the new demand for its products, Vuzix were forced to look for a new manufacturing plant that could provide the volume required.

The company has now successfully completed transition of its manufacturing facilities from its previous smaller base in the USA to a larger volume facility in China. Vuzix have announced that they have scaled operations to the new facility, along with improving the yields and lowerin the production costs for the M300 smart glasses.

Vuzix confirms that the M300 smart glasses now being produced by the Chinese facility have passes rigorous testing, both at the manufacturing plant, and again in New york. The transfer to the new plant in China has meant a 33% reduction in production costs along with considerable increase in production yield. The company says it is anticipating further cost reductions as production levels rise over the rest of the year.

“With the recent rollout of our OS 1.2 firmware update, the introduction of our full M300 accessory line and a reliable and steady flow of production arriving, Vuzix should be well positioned to deliver in volume to our enterprise customers over the second half of 2017”, said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix.

VRFocus will bring you further news on Vuzix and its AR products as it becomes available.

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Former VP Of General Electric Joins Vuzix As New COO

Provider of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) products such as the M300 Smart glasses, Vuzix, are a company determined to raise their profile. As such, they have recently recruited a new Chief Operating Officer in Paul Boris, formerly of GE Digital.

Boris previously worked in various roles at General Electric, mostly occupying leadership positions and overseeing manufacturing and operations strategy. He also served as director at the National Association of Manufacturers, the largest industrial trade association in the USA. Most recently, Boris had taken on the role of working with General Electric’s partner companies to accelerate to innovate and increase productivity using digital technology.

Vuzix

“Paul Boris has been an active and contributing member of the Vuzix Board of Directors for the past year and I’ve known Paul for several years dating back to his time as an executive at SAP,” said Paul J Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix. “As Vuzix business continues to expand the importance of adding a seasoned and well respected sales and manufacturing executive became paramount and to that end, I am excited to announce Paul Boris as our Chief Operating Officer. Vuzix looks forward to leveraging Mr. Boris’s unique skill set and leadership abilities to help carry Vuzix to the next level of excellence as an industry leader in augmented reality and wearable display technology.”

On his new position within Vuzix, Boris had this to say: “Vuzix is in a position to help drive the digital transformation that is starting to accelerate for manufacturers, field engineering services and any number of use cases where data-driven decisions and real-time support are critical to effective operations and a successful outcome. By being the solution closest to the operator or technician, the eyepiece, Vuzix is a critical component of the digital thread that is emerging.”

Boris continued: “I am excited to join a proven and innovative team to help drive Augmented Reality and smart glasses solutions that can produce the largest impact in the shortest possible time. The market is ripe for disruption and we intend to be at the leading edge.”

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on developments within the VR industry.

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Vuzix Announce New European Partner Firms

The team at Vuzix have been busy trying to establish themselves at the primary supplier of mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR) Smart glasses to the world of industry. They have been showing what the technology can do at several trade fairs alongside business partners. Several more names will now be added to the list of Vuzix business partners with the latest announcement.

Three new businesses will be added to the list of European Vuzix Industrial Partners, known internally as ‘VIP’s’. With the addition of the new firms, Vuzix are aiming to improve their reach in Europe.

The first of the companies that have been added is Augmenta, a Finnish firm which develops applications for operations such as production line control.
“We started our smart glass journey by introducing an interaction SDK that brought gesture controls and virtual keypads to the hands of enterprise developers,” said Tero Aaltonen, Augumenta CEO. “We are now expanding our offering by introducing a suite of ready-made applications and a configuration tool that allows our customers to quickly adopt and integrate Augumenta software with their existing IT systems. Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses play an important role in this game with their rugged design and impressive battery life, and we’re proud to promote them as the primary device for our SmartAlert product.”

Vuzix M300

The second firm is DOSCO, a company based in Germany which provides systems for remote technical support and systems for technical documentation.
“Being part of the VIP program gives us direct access to the resources of Vuzix and will significantly support the development and distribution of our solutions for smart glasses, in particular for the new M300,” said Robert Erfle, Managing Director of DOSCO.

The final new company partner is Brochesia, which is headquartered in Rome, Italy. Brochesia provide wearable devises for heavy industry.
“Being a Vuzix VIP Partner grants Brochesia early access to the latest Vuzix smart glasses and SDK packages enabling us to upgrade and test our solutions to support e.g. the latest available technologies such as the M300 devices.” commented Christian Salvatori Chief Technology Officer of Brochesia.

VRFocus will keep you informed on news about Vuzix and the M300 Smart Glasses technology.

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Vuzix Display Smart Glasses at ProMat 2017

Vuzix has been in the news on VRFocus quite a bit recently as they expand their business of supplying augmented reality (AR) Smart Glasses to business customers. The company were demonstrating the flagship M300 Smart Glasses product at the ProMat 2017 expo.

ProMat is an expo aimed at manufacturing and supply chain companies. This year there were more than 850 exhibitors from industry, commerce and government there to look at the latest equipment and technology available.

Vuzix were exhibiting alongside several of its partners to demonstrate how the M300 Smart Glasses technology can assist with functions such as warehouse distribution and quality control. Vuzix partners JASCI Software, Voxware, Murata Machinery and Ubimax were showing how they are utilising Vuzix technology during demonstrations at the expo.

Vuzix M300

“Our VIP partners are a key element of our go-to-market strategy for the M300, with production enhancements that surpass those that enterprise customers have seen or experienced to-date,” said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix. “The M300 Smart Glasses have been well received and have resulted in a steady flow of orders from our VIP partners. We expect this to continue and grow as we open up availability to all of our VARs and general developer community.”

The M300 Smart Glasses are designed for enterprise and business use and have already seen applications in RFID scanning, assembly assistance and stock control.

The ProMat Expo 2017 took place on 3rd-6th April at McCormick Place in Chicago.

VRFocus will keep you informed on further developments from Vuzix and other VR/AR companies.

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Center Stage Kickstarter Creating AR Arcade Lounge

An ambitious project to create an augmented reality (AR) sports bar is looking for funding on Kickstarter. The project plans to create a hybrid lounge/arcade where visitors can interact with AR holograms to be truly inside the game.

The facility is to be called ‘Center Stage’. The project is looking for $50,000 USD in funding to perfect the technology that will be used in the facilities. The creators of Center Stage are working with Nullspace VR, who had their own successful Kickstarter for the Hardlight VR haptic suit, as well as Vuzix, creators of the M300 AR Smart Glasses, who have been covered extensively on VRFocus.

The creators behind the project hope to eventually be able to generate an AR environment where up to six players can play together. Each person to visit the Center Stage will be able to set up their own profile which can be customised to their own personal preferences. Center Stage will also have a sports bar area, where players can take a break, have a drink and watch sports, of the traditional or eSports variety. There are also plans for tournaments to be held.

Funding tiers range from $5 which gets the backer a personal thank you email and access to exclusive Kickstarter updates, right through to $8,500 which allows an entire organisation to have a private party at the Center Stage facility with free food and drinks.

The location of the first Center Stage facility has not yet been confirmed. The organisers say that the more backers they get from a particular area, the more likely it is that the facility will be opened in that area. The organisers hope to eventually have Center Stage bars in every major city in the world.

Further information is available on the official Kickstarter page.

VRFocus will keep you updated on Center Stage and other VR/AR Kickstarter projects.

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Smart Glasses Hersteller Vuzix veröffentlicht Pläne für 2017

Neben der Virtual Reality, welche uns vollständig in eine andere Welt eintauchen lässt, arbeiten viele Unternehmen an der sogenannten Augmented Reality, die mit Hilfe von Einblendungen bzw. Überlagerungen die echte Welt mit Informationen erweitert. Das Unternehmen Vuzix entwickelt vor allem Smart Glasses, welche die Augmented Reality revolutionieren sollen. Ihre neue M300 Serie der AR-Brillen, sowie die dazugehörigen Service-Leistungen, sollen in diesem Jahr einen weitreichenden Release erhalten. Hierfür schloss Vuzix bereits einige Partnerschaften ab. Im aktuellen Bericht des Unternehmens für das Jahr 2017 wurde unter anderem eine Partnerschaft im Wert von 1.1 Millionen US-Dollar mit Toshiba bekannt gegeben. Im Verlauf dieser Partnerschaft soll ab Herbst eine individuell gestaltbare Version der Smart Glasses entwickelt werden.

Augmented Reality steht Hoch im Kurs bei Vuzix

Im offiziellen Bericht für 2017 veröffentlichte Vizux weitere Pläne und Ankündigungen zu ihren AR-Brillen, die vor allem die Verschiebung der Produktion nach Asien und die damit einhergehende höheren Produktionszahlen betreffen. Vizux fasst in einem Statement ihre Ziele und Hoffnungen für das bereits begonnene Jahr 2017 zusammen:

„Mit unserer neuen Technologie wird es uns gelingen, die Verbindung der digitale Welt mit der echten Welt weiterzuentwickeln und das durch modische AR Smart Glasses. Wir glauben Vuzix befindet sich in einer guten Position, vor allem was die finanziellen Mittel betrifft, um in diesem Jahr unser Unternehmen zu erweitern und all unsere Pläne zu verwirklichen.“

Augmented Reality Brille

Die Punkte des Plan umfassen unter anderem:

  • Die Produktion der M300 soll ab Q2 einen Stand von 1.500 Brillen pro Monat erreichen. Die Herstellung wird dabei größtenteils nach Asien verlegt, was sowohl die Kosten verringern, als auch die Produktionszahlen steigern soll.
  • Weitere Partnerschaften und Zusammenarbeiten mit Verkäufern sind geplant, um die Produkte einem breiteren Kundenkreis anbieten zu können.
  • Der Ton sowie die Präzession und die Performance der Brillen sollen durch eine automatische „Waveguide Replication“-Ausrüstung verbessert werden.
  • Das Repertoire der Brille soll erweitert werden, auch durch die Integration patentierte Anwendungen.
  • Das Feedback und die Ideen der Erstausrüster wird in weitere Entwicklungspläne mit eingebunden.
  • Die steigenden Erlöse aus dem verkauf ab dem 2. Quartal soll zu einer Reduzierung der Mittel des Unternehmens führen.

Zuletzt präsentierte Vuzix die neue M300 Serie der Smart Glasses auf der CeBIT in Hannover an dem Stand des Partners KDDI.

(Quelle: VR Focus)

Der Beitrag Smart Glasses Hersteller Vuzix veröffentlicht Pläne für 2017 zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!