Top CES 2021 VR announcements
As UploadVR points out, this year's CES went all-digital for the first time, making it a smaller affair than in past years. But there were a few interesting announcements in the AR/VR space. Here's some to check out. [Note: Some of this information appeared in earlier editions of Inside XR.]
Lenovo's new AR smart glasses
- The $12B company's "ThinkReality A3" glasses virtualize up to five 1080p displays.
- The glasses are equipped with an 8-megapixel camera, two fish-eye cameras, and room-scale tracking.
- Though lighter than ThinkReality's original headset design, the glasses do still need to be connected to a PC or Motorola smartphone.
Panasonic’s super-slim VR viewer
- Panasonic revealed an updated design of its lightweight, tethered VR glasses, which now have cameras for inside out 6DoF tracking and dual 2.6K micro-OLED panels with High-Dynamic Range (HDR) capability and 120Hz support.
- The glasses would connect to PCs or 5G smartphones via a USB-C cable.
- Panasonic hasn't said when it might release the glasses or how much they would cost.
Pollen Robotics' Reachy Robot with VR
- The French startup revealed teleoperation functionality for the humanoid robot using a VR headset and controllers.
- Users could control Reachy remotely to perform tasks like picking up and placing objects. The robot can "learn from the demonstration of the humans who control it."
- Reachy, an open-source robotics platform, costs $17K and is geared toward robotics research.
Madison Beer's VR performance
- Sony announced an immersive concert experience for Oculus and PSVR, starring a digitized version of the singer-songwriter.
- Beer performs a medley of songs from her upcoming debut album, “Life Support," in the experience due out sometime this winter. The album itself is due out on Feb. 26.
- Watch how Beer was digitally recreated in this video.
Vuzix Next-Gen Smart Glasses
- The enterprise-focused eyewear company announced its latest smart glasses powered by microLED technology for displaying digital information.
- The sleek device, which uses an Android-based operating system, looks "close to something you’d be comfortable wearing out in public on a daily basis," according to The Verge.
- New York-based Vuzix hasn't revealed a price point for the glasses, which are due out later this summer.
SenseGlove's haptic gloves
- The Dutch startup launched its Nova haptic feedback gloves for VR training purposes, which can simulate shapes, resistance, and more in VR.
- The wearable controllers have a per-finger tracking system that allows users to "experience collisions, textures, and button clicks where they happen — on your fingertips or the palm of your hand."
- They cost ~$5K a pair and are geared toward professional training at the commercial level.