Extended Reality (XR) - Page 13

Surgeons have successfully used virtual reality to separate the brains of conjoined twins after a lengthy 27-hour operation.

The two 3-year-old Brazilian conjoined twins Bernardo and Arthur Lima were born fused at the head and brain. The pair recently underwent a 27-hour operation that included nearly 100 medical staff and Great Ormond Street Hospital paediatric surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani.

According to Jeelani, teams of surgeons in both London and Rio spent several months using virtual reality projections of the twins skull and brain. These projections were based on CT and MRI data and allowed for surgeons to practice in a "virtual reality room" where they could perform the practice surgery together. The British neurosurgeon described the virtual reality technology as "space age," and that there is extreme benefit for surgeons to be able to "see the anatomy and do the surgery before you actually put the children at any risk."

Apple has just filed a patent for what looks like some interesting VR gloves that would let you use your hands and fingers to do things like move a cursor, scroll, open a document, select things, and so much more.

The upcoming Apple AR glasses would let you use the VR-style gloves with skin-to-skin contact, meaning full-on finger and hand gestures. Apple should be using a camera or radio frequency-based system on the headset, so that it can track the finger movement of the user, using these new gloves.

Apple's new patent would see two Apple Watch-like products that would be capable of detecting skin-to-skin contact, where the one of the wearables can sense, while the other handles gestures. Apple's patent also details a ring that would be in place of the watch, and would work with the VR gloves for particular actions.

Google has revealed that a few dozen "Googlers" and trusted testers will be using the company's new augmented reality glasses in the real-world.

Augmented reality (AR) is imposed computer-generated images onto the real-world, and is undoubtedly going to cause a tectonic shift in the technology industry once the development reaches a point where the mainstream adopts it. Google has now taken to its blog to reveal that a few select individuals will be wearing an "early AR prototype" in the real-world as the company wants to see how the device handles real-world scenarios such as a busy intersection while trying to provide navigation information to the user.

Google writes that the prototype glasses have only been tested within Google's labs and features an in-lens display, microphones, cameras, and more. Notably, Google states these prototypes will have "strict limitations" and won't support photography or videography. However, the glasses will be capable of using image data "to enable experiences like translating the menu in front of you or showing you directions to a nearby coffee shop."

Samsung Display is courting both Apple and Meta for next-gen Micro-OLED panels for their future AR and VR headsets, according to the latest from The Elec.

The company hasn't been making Micro-OLED panels so far because profits aren't great, but with the future augmented and virtual reality headsets relying on Micro-OLED panels, Samsung Display is stepping up to the plate. However, Sony will be the "first supplier" of Micro-OLED panels for Apple's "first MR device" reports The Elec.

The Elec reports: "Samsung Display had received requests from its customers to develop a MicroOLED panel, something which it had been avoiding so far due to expected low profitability. Up to now, Samsung Display had a few research staff working on MicroOLED and didn't pay much attention to it".

Apple's first-generation AR/MR headset is still a while away, and the second-generation AR/MR headset is even further away... but now analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is coming out with some shipping estimates that Apple "may reach" 10 million units "as soon as 2025 or 2026".

The key optical component of the Apple AR/MR headset are the high ASP Pancake lens, which the analyst says "directly affecting the visual experience and form factor design". But it will be the second-generation Apple AR/MR headset that "may have more high-end and more-affordable models".

Apple's second-gen AR/MR headset will reportedly launch in the first half of 2025, with component suppliers to begin shipping in the second half of 2024 says Kuo. The first-gen Apple AR/MR headset will use Pancake lens supplied by Genuis (the main supplier) and Young Optics (the second supplier). Kuo says that GIS is the "Pancake lens lamination supplier" while the "above suppliers are expected to be in the second-generation supply chain'.

Mojo Vision has developed and recently tested its prototype smart contact lens called the Mojo Lens.

Mojo Vision CEO Drew Perkins completed the company's smart contact lens's first ever on-eye demonstration on June 23rd, 2022, which provided a fully featured augmented reality (AR) experience. The lens creates an AR user interface (UI) that can provide information throughout the day and utilizes eye-tracking. Perkins used the lens' compass feature, viewed images, and read the text provided by an on-screen teleprompter.

Apple's upcoming AR/MR (augmented reality + mixed reality) headset will debut in 2023 with the base Apple M2 processor and 16GB of RAM according to the very, very latest leaks.

In a new post by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, we're being told that the new Apple M2 processor inside of the first-gen Apple AR/MR headset. Rumor has it Apple's new headset will offer both augmented and virtual reality content -- hence mixed reality -- with the Apple M2 along with 16GB of RAM.

Gurman explained "Outside of the Mac and iPad Pro, there's another place I expect the M2 to appear: Apple's mixed-reality headset. I'm told the latest internal incarnations of the device run the base M2 chip along with 16 gigabytes of RAM. And speaking of WWDC, there were plenty of software-related hints there about the headset's operating system, realityOS, and its features".

We all know Apple is working on a new AR/MR headset of some kind, but now Apple CEO Tim Cook has a little more to say about the fruity giant's first foray into a headset.

In a recent interview with China Daily, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about the future of AR and that Apple is excited about augmented reality (AR), not only that but that the "critical thing" to any technology including AR, is "putting humanity at the center of it".

Tim Cook explained: "I am incredibly excited about AR as you might know, and the critical thing to any technology including AR is putting humanity at the center of it. And that is what we focus on every day. Right now, as an example, we have over 14,000 ARKit apps in the App Store, which provide AR experiences for millions of people around the world".

Mark Zuckerberg the "human" only just turned himself back on after showing off Meta's prototype Butterscotch and Starburst headsets teased. Now... well, barely 24 hours later analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweets that Meta's metaverse hardware and headset business is on fire.

Kuo tweeted: "Meta's metaverse hardware/headset business slows down".

We also only just heard from the same analyst providing updates and predictions for a "higher-end Meta Quest 2 Pro" headset. The upgraded Meta Quest 2 Pro headset would use newer mini-LED display technology and 2P Panake for "marked visual improvements", VR + AR support driven through 16 cameras (10 on the headset, 3 in each controller: left and right hands).

Meta only just unveiled some new prototype VR headsets it is working on right now, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg teasing the new Butterscotch and Starburst prototype headsets... but now, now we're hearing rumors of the beefed-up Meta Quest 2 Pro.

The new rumors on Meta's upgraded Quest 2 Pro are coming from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has provided some "updates & predictions for higher-end Meta Quest 2 Pro". These include "reiterating" adoption of mini-LED display technology, with 2P Pancake for "market visual improvements". We're expecting to see a 2.48-inch mini-LED display inside of the Meta Quest 2 Pro, with 2160 x 2160 resolution per eye.

We're expecting both VR and AR with "video see-thru support" which will be driven by the massive CIA-happy-about-this-news 16 cameras on the Meta Quest 2 Pro headset. 10 cameras would be on the headset, with 3 each on the controllers for 6 cameras in your hands: 16 cameras in total. The analyst expects Meta to price the upgraded Quest 2 Pro at $799 or higher, with predictions that Qualcomm will provide its Snapdragon XR2 for the headset.

Meta has displayed some new prototype VR headsets that the social networking + virtual reality giant says will drive the future of VR, displaying worlds that will be "indistinguishable from reality"... oh, and they're prototyping the new "Starburst" VR headset that is 200x brighter.

The new VR headsets are being worked on at Meta's Reality Labs Research division, with the team saying that they're using a "visual Turing test" that is a bar that needs to be met, in order to convince your visual system that what you're seeing in the virtual world, is real. The Turing test is used to see if an AI is capable of thinking like a human being.

This isn't just a simple case of higher resolution display + higher refresh rate... there's much more going on inside of these new prototype VR headsets than you'd think... especially when you compare it up to the Meta Quest 2 headset.

Apple will change the world with its first-gen AR/MR (augmented or mixed reality) headset, with all signs pointing to the second-gen MR headset boasting a possible 4000 PPI display.

In a new report from Patently Apple, Sony will be providing Apple with its Micro-OLED displays for their first-gen MR headset, meanwhile, LG Display will provide higher-resolution Micro-OLED panels for the second-gen Apple MR headset. Patently Apple added: "We learned this week that LG will be using ultra high-resolution fine metal mask (FMM) from AP Systems".

"It was rumored in September 2021 that Apple requested FMM sample from AP Systems (APS Holdings) for use with the mixed reality headset. Apple had requested a resolution of 3000ppi (pixels per inch). Apple tested the FMM sample to see if it could be applied to production, then form a more concrete plant for the VR device's development".

Apple hasn't even announced let alone release its first-gen AR headset, but we're already hearing solid rumors about the second-gen Apple AR headset.

LG Display is reportedly trying to be the supplier of its Micro-OLED panels to Apple, for its second-gen mixed reality headset. Apple is working on an AR headset with mixed reality capabilities, which should see Apple's new headset being used for both AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) and LG wants it to have its Micro-OLED panel.

The news is coming from TheElec, who said its sources say LG Display is "aiming to supply" the Micro-OLED panels for Apple's new mixed reality (MR) headset. Micro-OLED technology mounts the OLED on a silicon substrate, unlike conventional panels that place the panel on the glass. OLED on Silicon -- or OLEDoS -- is expected to be used more and more as we see augmented, mixed, and virtual reality headsets released over the years.

Pimax has just unveiled its new Pimax Crystal QLED virtual reality headset, which rocks a spiffy new QLED + Mini-LED infused display, 160Hz refresh rate, and more. Check it out:

The new Pimax Crystal headset has a resolution of 2880 x 2880 per eye (5760 x 2880) with 42 pixels per degree (PPD) which is above the PPD of most competing headsets.

Pimax is driving the 2880 x 2880 resolution display at a smooth 160Hz, so we should see the screen door effect (SDE) lessened, and a good amount of PC hardware grunt to drive it.

Apple has been in the headlines for a while when it comes to its upcoming AR or MR headset, with the company set to kick off its upcoming WWDC 2022 conference on June 8.

I recently reported on the company seemingly teasing its "realityOS" operating system for its upcoming headset, with a shell company by the looks of things... you can read more on that here. But now, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has chimed in to waste down our expectations, and the hype.

Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted: "It still takes some time before Apple AR/MR headset enters mass production, so I don't think Apple will release AR/MR headset and rumored realityOS at WWDC this year. Apple's competitors worldwide can't wait to see the hardware spec and OS design for Apple's AR/MR headset".

Apple is gearing up for a huge event at its WWDC 2022 on June 8, where we are now seeing reports of references to "realityOS" in recent trademark filings.

Apple is still working on its AR headset, which has been plagued by issues in the last few months but ahead of its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) we are ramping up for a tease of its AR headset on June 8. Vox Media product manager Parker Ortolani tweeted that "It cannot be a coincidence that the "realityOS" trademark owned by a company that seemingly doesn't exist and is specifically for "wearable computer hardware" is being filed around the world on June 8, 2022".

Ortolani shared not one but two filings to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which he noticed was registered by a company called Realityo Systems LLC... which is probably just a shell company so that no one sniffs to close to Apple and discovers what's going on... until now. It's not the first time Apple has used a shell company for a product release: previous versions of its macOS share the same address as Yosemite Research LLC, the shell company hiding those macOS operating systems.

If you can imagine a not-too-distant dystopian future where crimes like VIRTUAL murder are punished in the REAL WORLD as REAL crimes... well, don't read this news... because that's exactly what some of the most influential people on the planet are talking about right now.

The United Arab Emirates minister of artificial intelligence, Omar Sultan Al Olama, said that he believes people who commit "serious crimes" in the metaverse should be punished as real-world criminals. Al Olama said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos: "If I send you a text on WhatsApp, it's text right? It might terrorize you but to a certain degree it will not create the memories that you will have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from it."

He added: "But if I come into the metaverse and it's a realistic world that we're talking about in the future and I actually murder you, and you see it ... it actually takes you to a certain extreme where you need to enforce aggressively across the world because everyone agrees that certain things are unacceptable".

ZOTAC has just unveiled its new 4th Generation of VR backpacks with the introduction of the new VR GO 4.0 backpack. Check it out:

The new ZOTAC VR GO 4.0 backpack has been designed with the most advanced technologies, with some upgrades to the hardware, design, and more. We have an Intel Core i7-11800H processor (8C/16T), an NVIDIA RTX A4500 with 16GB GDDR6 memory, 16GB of DDR4 RAM + 512GB M.2 SSD + Windows 11 Pro pre-installed.

ZOTAC does provide the ability to upgrade your storage + RAM, adding in some top and side-loaded I/O ports. The company has used an "intelligent thermal design" with padded support and strap, as well as "sweatproof wearable materials". It wouldn't be a new VR backpack without ZOTAC's in-house SPECTRA 2.0 RGB lighting, with a battery good enough for up to 50 minutes of playtime.

The military's version of a metaverse doesn't quite align with Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's vision for a virtual world for us to inhabit.

Using augmented reality (AR), two fighter pilots completed a high-altitude drill a few thousand feet high over the desert of California on May 10th. Flying a pair of Berkut 540 jets and donning custom AR headsets, the pilots were shown virtual refueling aircraft in the sky, allowing one of the pilots to practice a refueling maneuver with the virtual aircraft while the other observed.

The augmented and virtual reality (VR) technology, head-mounted displays and artificial intelligence (AI) powered environments are being developed by Red 6 and allow pilots to take part in virtual dog fights against enemy aircraft and more while pulling several G's. Red 6 is developing a platform that will allow them to display various scenarios in AR and VR, while using lower latency and higher reliability hardware than consumer-grade AR and VR headsets.

AMD's new low-power APU with Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 graphics has been spotted, this time inside of the Magic Leap "Demophon" augmented reality (AR) headset.

The new AMD Mero APU has been referred to as a "silicon copy" of Van Gogh, the APU that powers Valve's portable Steam Deck gaming console. AMD Mero packs a quad-core Zen 2-based low-power CPU, with an integrated RDNA 2-based GPU.

Locuza, who provides die shot analysis, says that Van Gogh has more IP blocks enabled -- including more Compute Vision hardware, or more PCIe lanes -- so Mero could be a custom variant of Van Gogh, made for the Magic Leap AR headset.