[Vidéo] Two Samsung augmented reality glasses concepts leak on the internet

Samsung’s plans for augmented reality were revealed in two promotional videos that leaked onto the Internet. The WalkingCat Twitter account, known for its ability to unearth this kind of information, posted the two videos on February 21.

Augmented reality …

We see two concepts. The most ambitious consists of augmented reality glasses called Samsung AR Glasses which allow 3D objects to be positioned in the environment and interact with them by hand tracking. Samsung presents this concept as its vision of the next computer platform that we will carry with us. Use cases include an “augmented reality desktop” with a virtual keyboard, “holographic calls” where you converse with correspondents modeled in 3D for more realism, and the ability to simulate your entire environment.

… And connected glasses

The second concept seems closer to what is possible at the moment with this type of format (relatively light and thin glasses that are not connected by cable to another device). Called Samsung Glasses Lite, they are connected glasses whose usefulness is to offer a large screen that is both discreet and portable. The video shows how it is used to play a video game, watch YouTube, work (with Dex), or control a drone. For the latter case, outdoors, the glasses switch to “sunglasses” mode by darkening their lenses.

They are compatible with a game controller, a Samsung Galaxy Watch connected watch, a Bluetooth keyboard and the drone remote control. In each case, a high-end Samsung smartphone provides the computing power, the glasses simply function as a screen. These uses are reminiscent of Qualcomm’s XR Viewers concept, which proposes the use of “light” glasses as extensions of the smartphone with simple uses of this type (no tracking of the position in space, no spatial interactions). The Chinese start-up Nreal already has a product of this type on the market.

The AR Glasses concept is more complex. The glasses seem to work independently and are similar to Facebook and Apple projects in this area. As these devices are subject to significant technological and financial constraints, their marketing to the general public is unlikely to take place this year. These capabilities are currently reserved for businesses, with larger and more expensive devices like Microsoft HoloLens 2 or Magic Leap One.