Are these real? Could it be an actual physical product? Magic Leap One's Lightpack (disc-shaped), Lightwear (glasses) and Control (microphone -haped). (Image courtesy of Magic Leap.)
With all of the faux-eccentric teasing, composite videos, then a real look at the tech (a story broke by The Information last year around this time, which reported Magic Leap was having trouble miniaturizing its tech and was not even as advanced as HoloLens), there is no reason to be excited by this company anymore until you have the technology in your hands and are potentially blown away in person. Really, don’t believe anything you read or see from them.
They’ve raised almost $2 billion in startup funding from widely accredited venture capital firms all over the world. There are no real specs available.
The “Lightwear” headset according to Magic Leap:
“We've combined our Digital Lightfield® technology with environment mapping, precision tracking and soundfield audio to produce amazing experiences that feel natural.”
The “LightPack” according to Magic Leap:
“The engine that drives our spatial computing platform. High-powered processing and graphics, streamlined in a lightweight pack that stays right by your side.”
The “Control” according to Magic Leap:
“Force control and haptic feedback allow for a fluid, sensory experience. With six degrees of freedom, movement feels smooth, intuitive and responds to your every gesture.”
There are six “Features” available on their website:
1. Digital Lightfield
2. Visual Perception
3. Persistent Objects
4. Soundfield Audio
5. High Powered Chipset
6. Next Generation Interface
Of these, the “High Powered Chipset” offers a small tidbit that might be of interest to our readers at ENGINEERING.com, who I presume are as skeptical of Magic Leap as I am at this point: “From editing an elaborate 3D model to playing a first-person shooter in your living room, Magic Leap One produces lightfield objects in intricate detail, all on a highly responsive, self-contained wearable.”
Cool, so maybe sometime in 2018, developers will get their hands on the developer edition and be able to create some applications for the consumer version which will be available sometime in 20__. You fill in the blank here.
The tight control over the way the company is presenting, and the way it’s marketing itself is just irritating at this point. Read the Rolling Stone piece, check out the pictures, but if any company in the world deserves complete empirical skepticism from engineers, it is this one.
Your thoughts?