Augmented Reality is a hot topic of the industry, and many tech giants are investing a lot of time and energy into making AR more realistic and accessible. Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design, allowing for an immersive experience through the advanced AR Smart Viewer architecture. But now, it seems that the OEM is seeking to reduce the cost of implementations of the AR.
According to sources, Qualcomm provided a reference design that includes a pair of AR smart glasses that can tether to a compatible smartphone, Windows PC, or processing puck. The AR smart viewer glasses will be integrated into the Snapdragon XR1 chipset that is designed to distribute computing workloads between the viewer and the host system via USB tethering.
The device features a micro-OLED binocular display produced by BOE, which comes with 90 Hz refresh rates and includes a no-motion-blur mode for seamless AR experiences. The lens is equipped with dual monochrome cameras that enable six-degrees of freedom head and hand tracking with gesture recognition.
Manufacturers can also add an 8 MB RGB camera with image stabilization for hands-free “See What I See” remote assistance.
Features of the AR smart viewer include:
- Split-processing enables the AR smart viewer’s on-device optimizations to deliver a 30% reduction in overall power consumption on the system.
- The 2D app framework provides a systems-level feature that helps launch smartphone applications into multiple virtual displays that can be anchored within the user’s environment. The framework also supports protected content viewing to watch premium movies and streaming services with the smart viewer.
- Tethering to a PC, the smart viewer combines plane detection and the ability to render multiple virtual displays to allow virtual PC windows to be anchored to planes in the real world.
Qualcomm announced that it is collaborating with companies like Microsoft, Lenovo (ThinkReality A3), and Neal (Light smart glasses), to help drive ecosystem expansion for the new AR Smart Viewer platform. The XR1 AR Smart Viewer reference design is now available for select partners, and availability is expected to be expanded in the coming months.
