justsharing: Magic leap into the future

Imagine one day you could see a NASA rocket taking off just under your eyes or too the maximum a dinosaur coming towards you. The concept of AR aka augmented reality does the same but if you have used AR app or device, you could see that there are minimum functions and visual Quality is not satisfactory.

So here comes the Magic Leap one through which you can not only see the moving 3D objects but also record them with their sounds. It is the highly advanced version of AR that you use today. Magic leap was founded by 2010 by Rony Abovitz in Florida, USA.

There has been so much Hype about this product which has been funded by big names like Google who invested around 2.2 billion dollars in this startup. Google has already made a similar kind of product called google glass way back in 2013 which was a flop. As the tech market is flooded with AR products, how can google be behind?

The 3 main parts

1. Lightwear aka Glasses – These glasses look exactly like the glasses in the “Back to the future movie”. They have 6 cameras in total and two front glasses in which chips are installed. They have silicon chips installed on them which helps in projecting high quality images directly into the user’s Retina. It is called lightwear as it is light in weight and not heavy as compared to other AR devices like Microsoft Holo lens. It has better sensors and the unique thing about magic leap one is that they have built in speakers for that real feeling.

It also has 3.5 mm earphone port and also voice input system provided. The lightwear can be adjusted to any head size and is comfortable in wearing with its stretchable back. I know many people who wear prescription glasses and have difficulty in wearing both the 3D glasses and their personal glasses over one another while watching a 3D movie. Same problem can occur with magic leap glasses but don’t worry, there is a solution. You will be provided with your preferred prescription lenses to be fitted in the glasses of lightwear.

2. Lightpack aka CPU- It is a small device that can be carried easily by fitting inside your pocket. It is the main processor of the whole magic leap device and acts like CPU+GPU device and is connected to the lightwear through a wire and controls the whole lightwear.

Its features include a CPU of 64 bit core NVIDIA SOC and a GPU of NVIDIA Pascal with 256 CUDA cores and Vulkan API for great gaming. It has got 8 GB RAM with 128 GB storage capacity for recording and storing your creativity. It has in-built rechargeable lithium-ion battery which maintains charge up to 3 hours on a single charge. It also has Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity with USB-C port.

Lumin OS

Lumin is Linux based OS that is stored inside the Lightpack. It is similar to the windows or android OS but for the glasses respectively. Through the Lumin OS you can share your recordings or your viewings on the glass in real time and you can even chat with other person who is using the magic leap one. You can watch movies and even stream TV channels on to the glass and enjoy your day. Lumin OS also has a built-in gallery where your recordings of the 3D images and your creativity will be stored and organized. You can even share these with your friends on the social media.

So basically with Lumin OS, magic leap is trying to bring an alternative device to the mobile and laptop devices.

3. Controller aka mouse/keyboard- It is a handheld controller just like the Playstation Move but way more advanced than the latter. It has trigger, a button above the trigger, round trackpad and a tiny home button on the controller.

You can use your control as a painting brush, as a tennis racket or for moving your designed imaginative 3D home from one block to another on the AR screen. It can be used up to 7.5 hours on a single charge and has USB-C charger.

Extras

The field of view of magic leap one is not perfect but is perfect when compared to the previous AR devices launched by other major tech companies. It comes with a magic leap one app through which you can watch videos and create other 3D objects. Lumin OS SDK is available on their site from where you can create Apps for the magic leap one device.

Rony Abovitz is also planning and working on AI that can be added to magic leap one later on. According to Rony, magic leap one is the future and it is the best mixed reality device available in the market right now.