Month: May 2021

While autonomous vehicles are almost assuredly the future of personal transportation, we are likely many years from seeing self-driving cars become as ubiquitous as manually-driven ones, as the auto industry has a myriad of government regulations and other constraints to contend with. Until then, augmented reality is looking like the next big thing in automotive technology. In fact, AR in automobiles could reach mainstream relevance with most consumers before AR headsets or smartglasses. With cars, there’s no cumbersome, headworn display to act as a hurdle to adoption, as content is projected onto windshields or dashboard-mounted displays. Miniaturization of computing hardware is also not as big a concern with AR in cars when compared to the challenges of embedding the same technology in a pair of smartglasses. DAQRIIn many ways, the benefits of AR in cars is not unlike that seen in current applications in the enterprise arena or the use cases envisioned for consumers, streamlining…more

We’re still basking in the afterglow of the HUGE Snap Partner Summit last week, where Snap made Snapchat a much stronger augmented reality platform while also unveiling the AR smartglasses version of Spectacles. This week, we got a peek at how Spectacles AR started and got our hands on Lenses from Lego and Disney featured during the keynote. Undeterred, Facebook made a move to match Snap’s masterstroke, with new AR features for creators to integrate into Instagram AR effects. In addition, Volkswagen unveiled a new electric vehicle with some automotive AR features coming along for the ride… more

Ever since Snapchat rebuffed its acquisition attempts, Facebook has morphed Instagram with features from Snapchat, such as stories, chat, and, of course, augmented reality. With regard to augmented reality, Snap is iterating at a fairly rapid pace. At its Snap Partner Summit last week, the company released version 4.0 of its Lens Studio AR creation platform and introduced new AR tech like Connected Lenses. Don’t Miss: This Viral Instagram Augmented Reality Filter Will Tell You Which Disney Character You Really Are To keep up with Snap’s AR arsenal, Facebook has added two new AR capabilities… more

The world of Lego is timeless primarily because everyone, regardless of age or background, can build a wide variety of amazing things with the simple component blocks from the classic toymaker. But now that Snapchat has brought that dynamic to augmented reality via the Rebuild the World Snapchat Lens the possibilities are truly endless. • Don’t Miss: Snap Team Member Reveals Early Prototype of AR Spectacles, Plus Here’s Another Way to Get Your Own Pair Oddly, when you visit the Lego website, you’ll have a difficult time finding any information about the new AR version of Lego, which is why… more

The electric vehicle space is where a lot of the most cutting-edge technology is used to push vehicles forward (the best example being Tesla). Now, the Volkswagen Group is ramping up the EV competition with its new augmented reality-infused Cupra Born. • Don’t Miss: Volvo Teams with Unity to Let You Test Out the XC40 SUV in AR, Launches Developer Innovation Portal Although the official announcement of the EV was made a few weeks ago, this week we finally got an up-close look at some of the detail. Specifically, the car’s augmented reality heads-up display is being shown off and, if the… more

When Snap CEO Evan Spiegel pulled off the surprise debut of the augmented reality version of Spectacles last week, it was one of the biggest moments in the company’s history. In one move, Snap moved from a primarily software-driven social media company to a legitimate hardware player. But how did it come together? • Don’t Miss: How to Get a Pair of Snap’s New Spectacles AR Smartglasses Well, it turns out that, just like the HoloLens before it, the new Spectacles also had a noteworthy prototype device that led up to the eventual polished version that we see today. Thanks to Snap AR Product… more

Last week, Snap powered through a mountain of important software and (shock!) hardware updates, as well as a few very big business partnerships. One of those partnerships is Disney World, but if you weren’t paying close attention, you might have missed how exactly you can bring Disney’s iconic characters into your real world via Snapchat. • Don’t Miss: Snap Now Lets You Build Lego in AR Remotely with Others, Reveals AR Tie-Up with Disney, Plus AR Business Tools The new Walt Disney World Resort Snapchat Lenses allow you to take a fully interactive selfie with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, or… more

Google and Snap held their annual conferences this week, and both companies managed to upstage their new AR software features with fantastic new AR hardware. After Snap unloaded a deluge of new AR capabilities and tools for creators and brands on Thursday, it dropped the mic with the reveal of its next-generation Spectacles, then followed up on Friday by acquiring the company whose technology helps make those Spectacles smartglasses. Similarly, Google unveiled several new AR features for Search and Maps, along with other tech advancements, during its I/O keynote, which concluded with the… more

The tech world was taken by surprise this week with the unexpected unveiling of Snap’s augmented reality Spectacles smartglasses. So far, the reaction has been incredibly positive, partly due to the fact that Snap has been underpromising the delivery of AR smartglasses for several years, making it seem like they were far off in the future for the company. Therefore, the device’s sudden debut felt more like a gift rather than an aspirational reach. • Don’t Miss: Snap Spectacles Finally Evolve into Full AR Smartglasses with Standalone Immersive Superpowers But now that the device is out in… more

The big day for Snap that resulted in the debut of brand new augmented reality Spectacles smartglasses is turning into a big week. On Friday, just as the company was still basking in the generally positive reception to its latest version of Spectacles, news dropped that Snap has acquired wave guide maker WaveOptics. • Don’t Miss: Snap Spectacles Finally Evolve into Full AR Smartglasses with Standalone Immersive Superpowers The deal not only gives Snap a huge leg up on its competition in terms of producing AR smartglasses in the future, but it also signals in no uncertain terms just how… more