A news report was released this week relating to the findings of Transparency Market Research (TMR).  Companies such as BAE Systems plc, Nippon Seiki Co. Ltd., Rockwell Collins Inc., and Continental AG currently lead the global head-up display (HUD) market.  It is said that these players are mainly focusing on giving users a comprehensive experience through incorporating cutting-edge technologies. Many players are also taking recourse to strategic collaborations and business partnerships to strengthen their position in the market. Besides this, the leading companies are looking to add novel solutions to their portfolios to expand their geographical reach.

Research and development activities have enabled the leading companies to innovate for improving their existing HUDs in terms of wider angle of view, clarity in projection, and easy integration with other electronic devices. Such innovations are aimed at gaining the lion’s share in the market.

Two forecasts are discussed including (1) Demand for Improved Safety will Boost HUD Uptake in Automotive and Aviation Sectors and (2) High Cost of Manufacturing to Limit HUD Adoption in Mid-range Cars Segment.

Additionally, demand for HUDs is set to Increase with the Launch of Augmented Reality.  TMR forecasts attractive opportunities for the market in the forthcoming years. The launch of augmented reality in automotive HUDs holds immense potential for growth. The technology will provide real-time traffic information to drivers. It will also display information from driver assistance systems such as lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

The HUD technology has its root in the automotive industry, witnessing robust deployment in the luxury and high-end car segment. Furthermore, TMR expects the technology to gradually penetrate in the mid-range car segment, as its cost of production decreases. This will bolster sales of head-up displays in the near future.

By applications, the aviation industry accounted for approximately 79% of the overall demand witnessed in the market. However during the forecast period from 2015 to 2022, the application of HUDs in the automotive sector is expected to rise at a faster pace. Regionally, North America led the global HUD market in 2014. Besides increasing application in the aviation sector, the rising demand for luxury cars will boost the North America HUD market at a CAGR of 19% between 2015 and 2022.

As per TMR, the global head-up display market stood at US$1.76 bn in 2014. TMR forecasts the market to reach US$7.05 bn by 2022, exhibiting a CAGR of 19.1% from 2015 to 2022.

On a post on Globes this week, Israeli Augmented Reality company TIPIT have raised $2.5 million. TIPIT according to this article have developed a cross-platform engine aimed at innovating in the space of Augmented Reality thanks to an investment from Atooro Fund.

This new technology provides developers, cameras and brands with a software development kit of computer vision as well as AR technologies that increases platform users’ retention, engagement and boosts revenue.

The post states that TIPIT developed graphics to interface with AR and image processing technologies which is said to be extremely difficult however TIPIT’s technologies eliminate these difficulties for developers so they can design AR graphics without writing a single line of code.

CEO, Jonathon Rimon from TIPIT said “TIPIT is the only true cross-platform in the AR world, providing the means to seamlessly create and integrate new graphics with customers’ products. We have found a way to bring these innovative technologies to developers for a much lower price than other AR or image processing SDKs”.

Not only do they offer their own graphics but they also allow software for customers to effortlessly design thousands of their own graphics and interface with the SDK. Atooro Funds Managing Partner, who have invested with TIPIT, Yonatan Brender, said “We’re proud to support the advancement of TIPIT, demonstrating its position as a truly unique outlier in the AR space with advanced and intuitive technologies that will no doubt play a large role in the way developers create AR and image processing effects for social media.”

HoloLens app developer Trimble has been working with the University of Cambridge, UK to find practical applications for Microsoft’s holographic technology in the construction industry.

Trimble developed the SketchUp Viewer app, which allows architects to see hologram versions of building models when they’re wearing the HoloLens headset.  Along with the University of Cambridge’s Construction Information Technology Lab are trialling the holographic technology in two ways:

1. To help building inspectors when carrying out remote structure assessments. Instead of on site visits they can use Hololens to see all physical and digital information in one go.
2. To automatically detect damage in bridges. High-resolution images can be taken by local teams and sent to inspection engineers, which can then review the integrity of a bridge in mixed reality using HoloLens, making recommendations for repairs or other preventative measures.

Ioannis Brilakis, Director of Construction IT Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, said: “The construction sector is undergoing rapid transformation as a result of the revolution in digital engineering. This exciting relationship with Trimble will enable us to work together to push forward our agenda to develop new, transformative tools and technologies to deliver a much safer and more productive construction industry and help build the infrastructure on which the well-being of society depends.”

A press release issued Feb 2 2017 states that Microsoft and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have partnered with the U.S. Navy to determine potential naval applications of Augmented Reality technology.

The Navy said Tuesday the disruptive technology laboratory at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock division will also work with other government agencies to identify uses for Microsoft’s HoloLens in support of Navy and Marine Corps operations.

An opinion piece on The Economist dated February  4^th 2017, offers the opinion that Augmented Reality will be big in business before it is accepted more widely.

Wearables are discussed and the idea is to build a pair of “smart glasses” that do everything a smartphone can, and more. Augmented Reality (AR) would “paint computerised information directly on top of the wearers’ view of the world”.  The article’s main thrust is that if AR can be made to work as its advocates hope, AR could bring about a new and even more intimate way to interact with machines.

The technology is advancing rapidly. Several companies already make fairly simple glasses that can project flat images for their wearers. They are increasingly popular with warehousing and manufacturing firms, who can use them to issue instructions to employees while leaving their hands free.

Firms such as Magic Leap, Meta and Microsoft, are building more capable headsets that can sense their surroundings and react to them, projecting convincing, three-dimensional illusions onto the world. Microsoft is already running trials of its HoloLens headset in medical schools and architectural practices.

Social factors often govern the path to mass adoption, and for AR, two problems stand out.

1. Aesthetics: HoloLens is an impressive machine, but few would mistake it for a fashion item. The author argues the case for beauty, as with Apple’s products.
2. Goggle Glass was accused of being ‘sinister’ with people worrying that users were covertly filming everyone they came into contact with.

Both of these problems are solvable since computers and costs both shrink over time.  It may well be possible one day to build a capable and affordable AR computer that looks like a pair of fashionable glasses.

The article concludes by stating that Augmented Reality will first become popular in the world of work, before being accepted amongst the masses, and follow a similar route to popularity as the mobile phone.

An agreement, stated in a report by geekwire, took place last week involving Xinova (Seattle-based invention factory) and Aetho (San Franciso-based venture.) These two companies have struck a deal with each other.

The article states that Aetho are to license intellectual property from Xinova in support of its push into AR and VR products. Intellectual property managed by Xinova is critical to Aetho’s plans. Xinova is a standalone company which focuses on co-development of innovations by a network of 10,000 inventors in more than 30 countries.

Harrison Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Aetho said in a statement when announcing the agreement: “Behind the scenes, we’ve worked tirelessly to push the limits of visual engagement. We delved into 3-D imaging in our infancy, knowing full well the proliferation of AR/VR consumption devices would soon catch up”.

As well as Aetho being Xinovas latest collaboration they also collaborate with other companies such as Robotic Vision Technologies, Eden Research, Retrace, Coffee Flour and Collins Woerman. Their CFO and Head of Investments, DG Kim as spoken out about this agreement. “The AR/VR space is a wide-open playing field, ripe for mass market adoption, and we believe that Aetho has the power to change the ways that people interact in both business and leisure scenarios through the use of both AR and VR.”

An article on Upload VR suggests that Apple is working on something in the VR/AR space. A newly published patent may offer clues to this. The patent is for a “wearable information system having at least one camera.” According to the abstract:

“The invention is related to a wearable information system having at least one camera, the information system operable to have a low-power mode and a high power mode. The information system is configured such that the high-power mode is activated by a detection of at least one object in at least one field of view of the at least one camera.”

Claims for this patent provide further details as to the scope and focus of the ideas. One claim explains that this creation would feature “a head-worn display and at least one camera attached to the display being configured to receive information in a same viewing direction as the head worn display.”

The additional claims focus primarily on the importance of the low and high power modes which seem to be triggered depending on what the camera is detecting. This camera would be capable of tracking “intensity information, color information, and depth information.”

The drawings inside this patent are mostly of flow charts detailing the way the system will operate. However, one drawing shows a human figure using what appears to be a smartphone to analyze different points of reference on a nearby building. Another image shows a user wearing a similar device around their neck and walking through an art gallery.

“As soon as an interesting piece comes into sight, the system can ‘wake up’ and move to a high power mode, for example in order to download interesting content and display it using Augmented Realty or in order to start an audio-clip, explaining the piece,” an excerpt from the patent reads.

So in essence what we’re seeing here is a patent for a very small piece of a technology that could be highly relevant for AR — that is, the ability for whatever wearable computer you’re using to have enough power to last an entire day. This patent covers that by outlining a low power mode when you don’t need the device.

AREA Member DAQRI has been in the news this week.  DAQRI’s Smart Glasses, released at CES this year, are the latest addition to its line of Augmented Reality gear, says an article in the Architect magazine.

DAQRI’s new release is a technology that builds on the company’s Smart Helmets. The Smart Helmet allows construction workers to use 4D displays and visual-inertial navigation to map out their surroundings. However the new Smart Glasses bring AR and VR technology to everyday office environments as well as industry.

The Smart Glasses operate on a sixth generation Intel Core m7 processor and use Intel’s RealSense LR200 Depth Sensor which can gauge depth and pinpoint the user’s location just like the Smart Helmet. However the main difference between both technologies is that the glasses, by design are noticeably more compact and are lighter that the helmet weighing in at 14 ounces. Unlike the helmet the glasses do not provide physical protection and do not allow thermal imaging technology that helped workers monitor and maintain work sites.

The Smart Glasses will excel in environments where employees would benefit from sharing files and images in real-time. They can help with remote assistance by utilizing its AR tracking camera which allows users to relay what they are seeing firsthand via the computer to their colleagues. These Smart Glasses by DAQRI also comes with a compute pack which can be connected and disconnected to share recorded information with co-workers.

A press release issued Feb 2 2017 reveals a perspective that may interest readers based on ABI research.

With Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) head-worn device shipments to reach 37 million by 2018, at an 83% CAGR, ABI Research identifies several innovative companies that will lead market development, including Fovi3D, Meta, and Sensics.

The article suggests it is manufacturers in adjacent markets, particularly machine vision, that will have the most substantial impact. Companies such as Eonite Perception, Occipital, and uSens will not only spur overall market development but help to position Mixed Reality (MR) as a key future disruptor to existing AR enterprise implementations.

Shelli Bernard, Research Analyst at ABI Research is quoted as saying: “The development and evolution of user input technologies is key as AR and MR markets grow, as the technologies will support accurate and intuitive hands-free interaction as implementations within the workplace become more commonplace.”

While VR will dominate the revenue balance between AR and VR until 2019, at which point AR will grow to reach 53% of a $57 billion market, innovations continue to occur in both markets.

Both hardware solutions providers–optics provider Lumus and AR device manufacturer Meta–and software and content delivery-focused companies–ar4.io and VREAL–are showing marked innovation through their latest offerings.

Additionally, companies such as Mind Maze are capitalizing on the potential for AR and VR within specific market verticals, with Mind Maze targeting the healthcare market to support brain injury recoveries.

“As vendors work to improve their AR and VR solutions, innovations through adjacent and enabling technologies will spur future market development,” concludes Bernard.

The findings are taken from the report: ABI Research’s Hot Tech Innovators in AR/VR https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/1026667-hot-tech-innovators-in-arvr/

In a recent article published by Health Point Capital, it was announced that Royal Philips are developing a fully-automatic Augmented Reality surgical navigation system.

This new technology is designed to help surgeons perform image guided open and minimally invasive surgeries for spine, cranial and trauma procedures. This new system will allow surgeons to check the procedural result in 3D without the need to move the patient to the CT scanner.  This means that there is zero radiation exposure to the surgeon and the team with only minimal dosage to the patient.

This navigation system is said to be the first of its kind in the industry which combines not only 3D x-ray but optical imaging as well to create a 3D augmented view of the patient. The system utilizes high resolution optical cameras that map the surface of the patient. It is attached to a flat panel X-ray detector which provides the internal images. This technology will allow surgeons to see the internal and external anatomy of the patient simultaneously due to the cameras and X-ray machines capturing the external and internal view.

According to this article Philips are aiming to convert more open surgeries to minimally invasive procedures in order to reduce post operative pain and expedite recovery. This will help improve procedure planning, optimal device path and placement, surgical tool navigation, implant accuracy and operation times.

Philips is a leader in hybrid OR technologies and this new system expands the scope of the company’s hybrid OR solutions.