Meta Augmented Reality Glasses are now available for preorder on crowdfunding site Kickstarter. A wearable computing device that combines a dual screen 3D augmented reality display with super-low latency gestural input, this technology allows for full mapping of the user’s environment and control of the augmented reality display. In short, the Meta smart glasses provide an immersive Iron Man or Minority Report style computing experience … simply amazing.
Hot on the heels of the Google Glass augmented reality glasses explosion comes Meta … an amalgamation of a Glass type user interface with Xbox Kinect type spatial tracking. This amazing combination, while not unobtrusive, allows the wearer to use her hands to interact with virtual objects layered over reality in real-time. While the first generation of Meta glasses are presented as a useable developer kit for programmers and early-adopter technophiles, the concept Meta 2 shrinks the cameras to negligible size resulting in a wearable computing augmented reality glasses kit that is roughly the same size as present day Google Glass.
The next generation of smart glasses will include spatial monitoring and immersive augmented reality as the Meta glasses intend to provide.
At this time, only the Windows platform is compatible with the Meta augmented reality glasses. However, the company assures us that other platforms, such as OSX and linux, are currently in development. The Meta glasses include two individual cameras projecting at a respectable resolution of 960×540 for each eye. For comparison, Google Glass single eye resolution is listed at 640×360. And, unlike Google Glass, which simply provides a data filled pop up in the corner of one eye, the Meta immerses the user in 46 degrees (23 degrees for each eye) of augmented reality and virtual objects. The current Meta glasses developer’s kit is tethered and requires a wired connection to a Windows computer. However, the Meta 2 consumer version is expected to be wireless, a necessity for commercial success we believe.
Google Glass is the first true set of smart glasses to have broad consumer appeal. While Google’s tech is fascinating and truly cutting edge, its application, at this time, is limited. The next generation of smart glasses will include spatial monitoring and immersive augmented reality as the Meta glasses intend to provide. And, while the Meta developer’s kit current available on Kickstarter is not as sleek and diminutive as the elegant Glass, it is a huge step in the right direction and begins to illustrate just how far this fledgling technology can be expanded. With one week to go, Meta has blown through their funding objectives, capturing $160,000 of their $100,000 goal. We want a set!
Source
Meta Augmented Reality Glasses: [Company Website]
