Creating Immersive Experiences with Magic Leap Glass

Magic Leap Glasses is an augmented reality (AR) headset that was developed by the company Magic Leap. The glasses, officially known as Magic Leap One, were released in August 2018. The Magic Leap Glasses are designed to allow users to experience a new level of reality by seamlessly blending digital content with the real world. The glasses use a combination of sensors, cameras, and advanced optics to overlay virtual images onto the user's surroundings. One of the main features of the Magic Leap Glasses is their lightweight and comfortable design. The glasses are built to be worn comfortably for extended periods of time, allowing users to fully immerse themselves in the augmented reality experience.

The question is, has all that investment paid off?

First up, it s worth noting that the Magic Leap One is currently available in Creator edition designed for developers and people who want to build their own mixed reality experiences using the headset. Johnson, who came aboard in August of 2020 after many years at Microsoft, and before that, chip giant Qualcomm, has redirected Magic Leap from what was mostly a consumer sensation in that first headset to a very different focus on sales to business users -- the most immersive augmented reality headset for enterprise, as the company terms it.

The glasses are built to be worn comfortably for extended periods of time, allowing users to fully immerse themselves in the augmented reality experience. The Magic Leap Glasses also come with a handheld controller, which allows users to interact with the virtual content. The controller features a touchpad, buttons, and a motion sensor, providing a variety of ways to control and interact with the augmented reality environment.

Immersive AR for consumers is 'five or so' years away, says Magic Leap CEO

Magic Leap is seeing commercial success with its enterprise augmented reality headset, but it will take years to get electronics shrunk down into a glasses-like form factor that consumers will want to use.

Magic Leap 2 has gotten favorable reviews as perhaps the best augmented reality headset around. CEO Peggy Johnson says a lot more still has to be done to make such devices into something consumers will want to use.

A viable market for consumer use of augmented reality, where simulated images are overlaid on one's view of the world, as by goggles, is probably five years away, according to Peggy Johnson, chief executive officer of Magic Leap, the pioneering maker of AR gear.

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"If I had to guess, I think, maybe, five or so years out, for the type of fully immersive augmented reality that we do," said Johnson last week in a live Q&A forum on Zoom organized by the Collective[i] Forecast, an online, interactive discussion series that is organized by Collective[i], which bills itself as "an AI platform designed to optimize B2B sales."

Magic Leap, which pioneered the development of glasses that let a user see rendered objects in their field of view, excited the technorati in 2018 with teaser videos, and billions in funding it received from Google.

But the first version of the product, released that year, was underwhelming. CNET called the $2,295 headset the best AR device up to that point, but also lamented "significant drawbacks to Magic Leap's AR hardware."

Johnson, who came aboard in August of 2020 after many years at Microsoft, and before that, chip giant Qualcomm, has redirected Magic Leap from what was mostly a consumer sensation in that first headset to a very different focus on sales to business users -- "the most immersive augmented reality headset for enterprise," as the company terms it.

"The other big thing that will happen over time is the same thing that will happen in mobile phones, silicon integration," says Johnson, an engineer by training. "That allows you to have a very small, lightweight device, and a very power-efficient device. And we are still coming down that trajectory."

The company released the second version of the headset in September, and the new device, priced nearly a thousand dollars more, $3,200, can be ordered online from multiple outlets. But the focus is to build the enterprise use of the product through partnerships and reseller channels.

Magic Leap's second version enters a crowded market for enterprise AR as well as XR, covering devices that mix AR with VR. Microsoft's HoloLens is among the most prominent, but there are also goggles from Vuzix and Lenovo , and Google's Glass Enterprise 2 .

The Magic Leap 2 has gotten favorable initial responses. CNET's Scott Stein, who had been critical in 2018, wrote in March of this year that the improvements with the second version are meaningful, and collectively, "a small but key step for a company that, like many others, is aiming to solve the riddle of AR glasses."

An early reviewer of the final product, Devindra Hardawar, wrote last month that the second version is "a significant achievement," adding it "is easier to wear, far more powerful and it offers a dramatically larger (and taller) AR field of view than any headset we've seen before" and "should be easier for developers to work with, thanks to a new Android-based OS."

However, much more basic engineering progress is necessary to achieve a consumer-friendly device, said Johnson.

"I think what is needed is a super lightweight device," she said. "I think it needs to look something like glasses."

The Magic Leap 2 benefits by having the processor unit as an attached device worn at the hip, something that won't fly for consumers, noted Johnson:

Magic Leap 2.0 went far in becoming lighter, it's about 20% lighter, it's about half the size, so we really tightened up the metrics, which has been helpful for all day use for somebody in an industrial setting, or even a doctor during a long surgery. But, still, for walking around, I think the device is not quite what a consumer would put up with for a full day. I think we really need to be in that glasses category.

Magic Leap has been re-oriented toward enterprise use cases. Here, a group visualize a wildfire scene with images of terrain and stats overlaid on their view of the world.

To make such a compact device runs into the limits of current electronics, especially batteries:

It's hard to get down to that size. The battery is a constraint. The processor itself -- right now, we have the processor separate from the headset; that's how we make the headset so light, it kind of hangs off your waistband or your pocket. It's a little bit heavier, it can be warm because it's a processor. We just don't think that's wise to build that into headset right now. It's uncomfortable. There are others on the market who have done that, and that's the biggest complaint: it's clunky, it's hot, it's heavy. And so, we've got to solve all of that in order to get these onto consumers.

Johnson, an engineer by training, said the continued path of silicon integration in chips will help:

The other big thing that will happen over time is the same thing that will happen in mobile phones, silicon integration. The CPU that runs our mobile phones used to be a lot of components, and it used to be bigger. And my old company, Qualcomm, puts more and more features into that chip. That allows you to have a very small, lightweight device, and a very power-efficient device. And we are still coming down that trajectory.

There are already a few devices on the market, said Johnson, "that are more of a heads-up display."

Those kinds of devices, while not immersive like the Magic Leap, "might solve an anesthesiologist's problem -- like, I just want to see the vitals in front of my eyes," she said.

"That's really easy to do, that's just putting a little display in front of your field of view, and not blocking anything else. That is something that can happen today."

Johnson reiterated, "But for that fully immersive AR experience that will really be a tool for consumers, I think it's going to be several years, probably five or so."

However, much more basic engineering progress is necessary to achieve a consumer-friendly device, said Johnson.

One of the key benefits of the Magic Leap Glasses is their versatility. They can be used for a wide range of applications, including gaming, entertainment, education, and productivity. The glasses provide an immersive and interactive experience, making them appealing to both consumers and professionals alike. Overall, the Magic Leap Glasses offer a glimpse into the future of augmented reality technology. With their advanced features and comfortable design, they have the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with digital content and the real world..

Reviews for "The Role of Magic Leap Glass in Architecture and Design"

1. John - 1 star - I was extremely disappointed with the Magic Leap GlassDPPR. The device was hyped up to be this revolutionary technology, but in reality, it fell flat. The augmented reality was mediocre at best, with glitchy graphics and a limited field of view. The glasses were uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time and the battery life was abysmal. Overall, it was a waste of money and I regret purchasing it.

2. Sarah - 2 stars - As an early adopter of the Magic Leap GlassDPPR, I had high expectations for this product. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype. The device was difficult to set up and the user interface was clunky and unintuitive. The augmented reality experiences were underwhelming and lacked depth. The glasses were also quite heavy and uncomfortable to wear, making it hard to enjoy using them for an extended period of time. In the end, I was left feeling disappointed and wishing I had invested my money elsewhere.

3. Alex - 2 stars - The Magic Leap GlassDPPR was a major letdown for me. The device was advertised as providing a mind-blowing augmented reality experience, but it failed to deliver. The graphics were pixelated and the overall visual quality was not up to par. The tracking was also inconsistent, often leading to misalignment between the virtual objects and the real world. Additionally, the glasses were bulky and impractical for everyday use. I was hoping for a revolutionary product, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.

Understanding the Technology Behind Magic Leap Glass