The Vuzix Wrap 920AR aren’t the sexiest of specs, but they do perform the function of AR glasses. I got a chance to see this setup at ISMAR09 which they’re now showing at CES 2010.
The specs for the glasses look like:
The stereo camera pair delivers a single 1504 x 480 side-by-side image that can be viewed in 3D stereoscopic video, while the video eyewear provides an unprecedented 67-inch display as seen from 10 feet. The Wrap 920AR also includes a 6 Degree-of-Freedom Tracker, which allows for absolute accuracy of roll pitch and yaw and also X, Y and Z positioning in 3D space
Vuzix Wrap 920AR Specifications:
• 1/3-inch wide VGA Digital Image Sensor
• Resolution: 752H x 480W
• Includes 6 Degree-of-Freedom Tracker
• Frame rate: 60 fps
• Dynamic range: >55dB linear; >80-100dB in HiDy mode
• Shutter efficiency: >99%
• ADC Resolution: 10-bit column parallel
• High-speed USB 2.0
• PC and Mac compatible
• System requirements: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, Windows7, Mac OS X 10.4.9 or higher
• MSRP: $799.99
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/lpcyMn6UVKY&]
They probably won’t be worn in public anytime soon, but some creative programmers could create interesting house-only interactive avatars or AR spaces. While some might scoff at this idea, see this video from Georgia Tech last year to see how even semi-cheesy graphics can make augmented reality immersive. Having played the old VR game Dactyl Nightmare in the 1990s, the head-tracking really creates the illusion of reality.
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8c6U7dpI7g]
We haven’t seen any developers put together a product that takes advantage of these $800 glasses, but hopes are that exposure at CES 2010 will bring more interest. The only thing I’ve seen using the setup is the Whisper Deck from Craig Kapp.
Maybe later this year we might see some products that would entice the hard core AR enthusiast to fork out the cash for these un-sexy specs.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: AR Games, augmented reality, CES2010, Craig Kapp, Georgia Tech, ISMAR 2009, Vuzix, Vuzix Wrap 920 AR |
Games Alfresco 
We are excited to have Craig Kapp present his Whisper Deck at the next ARNY (Augmented Reality New York) meetup.
An opportunity to check the glasses in action!
Personally, I think they looks pretty ok. A bit silly, but I dont think its a barrier to anyone except the real mass market…and they wouldnt care yet anyway.
What’s more an issue is the price. $800 is a little disappointing compared to the sub-$500 opticaly transparent ones they were aiming for 6 months ago.
$800 is quite past the “buy to experiment with mark”, ruleing people like me out.
That said, they havnt got much compentition, and it would be great value for universitys, research places and even buisness’s that want to visualise designs.
I hope they succeed with this line so they can reinvest the money back into developing more.
They’re quite presentable though, I wouldn’t feel too embarrassed wearing them in public. They’re a step up from the previous AR model they had, that looked like Geordis specs off Star Trek :P
I think my willingness to use them in public would depend on the quality of the programs I could use with it. If it gave me full “conceptual” control with all the bells and whistles, hells-yeah, I would wear it.
Well, I think other tech has to catch up for them to be that usefull outdoors.
I dought you will be able to hock them up to an iPhone or Nexus and run decent outdoor AR on it.
(even though nexus does have a usb port.)
I think its either indoor use, or outdoor with a full laptop/backpack set up for now.
But yes, it will come down to software in the end.
*gets back to coding*
Prof. Steven Feiner (Columbia University) brought to my attention that the Vuzix WRAP 920AR demo – is actually Ohan Oda’s Marble Game based on his lab’s Goblin XNA tool. A really cool game mechanic – nicely enhanced with the stereo camera.
Hello, good post.
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