Canon Demos New Head-Mounted Augmented-Reality Display

Press2ToContinue writes with this excerpt from ExtremeTech: "With products like Google's Glass, the Oculus Rift, and even certain features found on the Nintendo 3DS, augmented, mixed, and virtual reality are starting to make some headway in the consumer space. Canon, best known for its cameras, is looking to break into the mixed reality scene with its new head-mounted display. ... The core of the setup is the Canon HMD (head-mounted display) which works in conjunction with various sensors — optical and magnetic, as well as visual markers — to help create the mixed reality environment. The HMD employs two cameras located in front of each eye that captures video and shoots it off to an off-board, tethered computer. The computer then combines the real-world visuals with computer-generated visuals, and beams that back to two monitors placed in front of the eyes within the HMD. The unit combines with a development platform, dubbed the MR Platform, which allows companies to create mixed reality images to display on the HMD."

Comments

Dear Canon,

[Anonymous Coward]

That's very nice. But the 1990s called and want it back.

Re:Canon?

[nametaken]

Yes... feeeel the hate. Let it flow through you, consume you, make you stronger. Know the power of the slashdot.

Marketed for the Military

[Nyder]

since it has a $125k price tag.

No one else is that stupid to pay that much.

Re:Marketed for the Military

[Woogiemonger]

I'm sure the military will be a customer, but $125k for any major corporation is negligible. I was going to reply saying the cost of building a concept car, for instance, is peanuts compared with $125k. However, the industry standard, upon further looking into it, is to build a large scale non-working prototype. If they want it functional, they might take the drive train out of an existing car. This is pretty close to the functionality you get out of prototyping with VR, and the majority of the cost is the CAD. The big savings comes with the modifications. The "let's see what it looks like if you did this". The time savings would be immense, to produce a new model for every change. Also, the remote transmission of prototypes. A movie studio in California, and a machine shop in Colorado might want to see what the latest Dalek costume looks like in a new Dr. Who movie, produced by designers in Japan. If this is the best thing out there, $125k seems to be the right price.

Application ideas:

[SuricouRaven]

Adblock RL: Replaces all billboards, posters and other advertising with blank space.
Social-app: Automatically recognises the faces of everyone you are supposed to know and overlays name and a history of recent interactions, allowing you to pretend you care enough to remember who they are.
Nudievision: Construct a 3d model of figures and overlay, effectively removing clothing.
Pure Eyes: Blocks any sexual images, including women showing more flesh than would be considered modest in an Amish town. Marketed at the super-devout Christian market.
Halal Eyes: Actually just Pure Eyes with the logo changed, but marketed to Muslims instead.
Child compass: Receives GPS position from offspring's mobile phone and maintains a continually updated directional indicator to aid to recapture when they run off.
Pedofinder: For every face seen, perform automatic lookup in public sex offender databases. A vital app for all paranoid parents so they know when to shun people.
Gaydar: Tags an icon over any other Gaydar user.

So much bullshit in one video

[loufoque]

The video has so much bullshitting going on in it that it's really impressive.
It reminds me of all the people I've seen when creating my start-up. Why do people in emerging businesses think it is a good idea to make ridiculously bold statements about technology that clearly isn't that world shaking?

Yikes

[Guspaz]

I realize this is for AR more than VR, but I'd rather take a $300 Rift with a huge FoV than a $125k Canon thingy with a tiny FoV...

Re:Canon?

[chill]

No. If a competitor is the Occulus Rift at $300 and this Canon unit is $125,000 with a $25,000 annual maintenance charge I think they've blown right past 50% more expensive.

I'd rather get the Occulus with the optional Tesla S Performance and save a few bucks.