A demonstration has been unveiled featuring one of the most promising AR systems currently in development. Magic Leap, which has received backing from Google, works by projecting images directly at the eyes so that virtual objects are perceived as real. Although it uses a headset like similar VR/AR systems in development, it promises to offer a better field of view and crisper quality of images if the early glimpses of Magic Leap are anything to go by.
Exact details of what technology the system uses and how it works are closely guarded. The recent release of a video demonstration, shot through the headset to get a user’s viewpoint, gives the clearest indication yet what the system’s capabilities might be.
The video shows the solar system floating in the middle of an office and a robot hiding under a desk. The robot is at one point being obscured by a table leg suggesting the system can recognise the object’s relationship with the real environment around it.
There has been no release date set for Magic Leap as yet, but a software development kit was announced in the summer to let designers explore the product’s possibilities.