Mutrics Launches Crowdfunder for "Open Source" ARiC Augmented Reality System
Company is quiet on whether it plans to open the hardware design, or simply the source code of the bundled demonstration apps.
Smart audio glasses specialist Mutrics is making the leap into augmented reality, launching a crowdfunding campaign to produce an AR glasses system dubbed the ARiC.
Mutrics' previous focus has been on glasses which integrate audio functionality: Its GB-30, with a gaming-themed frame inspired by the Nintendo Game Boy, came with the promise of open-ear virtual surround-sound audio over Bluetooth 5.0 and blue-light filtering lenses — and as of January this year the company claimed to have fulfilled all backers' orders, though some say they have yet to receive their hardware.
Now the company is looking to launch something considerably more complicated: An augmented reality headset with integrated camera, inertial measurement unit (IMU) with gyroscope, compass, and accelerometer, and dual Sony micro-OLED displays with a claimed 45 degree field of vision and Full HD (1920x1080) resolution.
"The age of augmented reality is upon us. Engineers, industrial designers, mechanics, salespeople, film makers, doctors, and other professionals desperately desire a device that could recreate their vivid, otherworldly dreams into an immersive experience that can be appreciated by all," Mutrics' Xinyu Jiang opines.
"Mutrics strives to lead the way in AR development to seamlessly overlay virtual imagery on the physical environment. We proudly present to you our newest 'toy,' the Mutrics ARiC, a complete open source tool that provides developers with an all-in-one AR solution. Included in the Mutrics ARiC is futuristic hardware and powerful software for maximum customizability of your augmented reality."
Quite how open the "open source" project is, however, is not yet clear: While the company makes the claim, it hasn't yet published any source code — and it's possible the hardware will remain proprietary, with "open source" referring only to sample code provided alongside a Unity-powered demonstration app to get developers started with features including photo-target AR, using data from the inertial measurement unit (IMU), detecting gestures, and tracking objects.
The company is funding production of the ARiC on Kickstarter with hardware rewards starting at $1,299 at early bird pricing — a big discount over the claimed $2,999 target retail price, which would put the ARiC within shouting distance of Microsoft's $3,500 HoloLens 2.