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Qualcomm announces Snapdragon XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design glasses

Qualcomm intends to boost the adoption of AR platforms. (Image Source: Qualcomm)
Qualcomm intends to boost the adoption of AR platforms. (Image Source: Qualcomm)
The new AR Smart Viewer Reference Design glasses from Qualcomm integrate the Snapdragon XR1 SoC, BOE micro-OLED binocular displays and Goertek hardware, plus dual monochrome cameras that enable six-degrees of freedom head and hand tracking with gesture recognition. OEMs can also include an 8MB RGB camera for remote assistance functionality.
Android Desktop Laptop Smartphone Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) Wearable

With the introduction of the Snapdragon XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design, Qualcomm is seeking to reduce commercialization time and implementation costs for OEMs, allowing for an immersive experience through the advanced AR Smart Viewer architecture. The reference design provided by Qualcomm includes a pair of AR smart glasses that can tether to a compatible smartphone, Windows PC or processing puck.

Qualcomm’s AR smart viewer glasses integrate the advanced Snapdragon XR1 chipset that is designed to distribute computing workloads between the viewer and the host system via USB tethering. The device also features a micro-OLED binocular display produced by BOE, which comes with 90 Hz refresh rates and includes a no-motion-blur mode for seamless AR experiences. Other hardware subsystems are provided by Goertek and the lenses also come equipped with dual monochrome cameras that enable six-degrees of freedom head and hand tracking with gesture recognition. OEMs can also add an 8 MB RGB camera with image stabilization for hands-free “See What I See” remote assistance.

Some of the premium use cases unlocked by the powerful hardware package integrated in the AR smart viewer include:

  • Split-processing that enables the AR smart viewer’s on-device optimizations to deliver a 30% reduction in overall power consumption on the system.
  • The 2D app framework provides a systems-level feature that helps launch smartphone applications into multiple virtual displays that can be anchored within the user’s environment.  The framework also supports protected content viewing to watch premium movies and streaming services with the smart viewer.
  • Tethering to a PC, the smart viewer combines plane detection and the ability to render multiple virtual displays to allow virtual PC windows to be anchored to planes in the real world.

To help drive ecosystem expansion for the new AR Smart Viewer platform, Qualcomm is already collaborating with companies like Microsoft, Lenovo (ThinkReality A3) and Nreal (Light smart glasses). The XR1 AR Smart Viewer reference design is now available for select partners, and availability is expected to be expanded in the coming months.

 

Buy the MAD Gaze Glow - AR MR Binocular Smart Glasses on Amazon

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 02 > Qualcomm announces Snapdragon XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design glasses
Bogdan Solca, 2021-02-24 (Update: 2021-02-24)