The latest high-tech development in the military comes in the form of a pair of glasses designed for augmented reality.
The Osterhout Design Group (ODG), the San Francisco-based military startup behind the device, initially created it for military and industrial uses and plans on making some improvements to make them available to consumers, according to Gizmag. The company says the Smart Glasses, which run on Android KitKat, provide an experience that is more immersive than Google Glass but less immersive than the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
ODG plans on selling its Smart Glasses sometime in 2015 for under $1,000, RT reported. A specific price for the device has yet to be revealed.
"Our Smart Glasses are proving their worth in some of the world's toughest environments and we look forward to bringing our innovative technology closer to everyday consumers," ODG CEO and Founder Ralph Osterhout said.
What makes the Smart Glasses a potential competitor for Google Glass is its two displays (compared to Glass's one display) and its ability to cover more of the user's sight lines. They can also use stereoscopic 3D by projecting slightly different images in each eye.
A quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is featured with 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking and navigation via the global positioning system (GPS), Russian Glonass, and Magellan satellite networks, RT reported. Other features include storage of 128-gigabytes, magnetic audio jacks, two digital microphones and a 5-megapixel camera.
The glasses also come with positional sensors for tracking the user's movements, and they can also work with apps designed for facial detection.
Pete Jameson, COO of ODG, said the glasses are aimed at providing "a state-of-the-art system in a consumer-friendly form that you can wear to do specific things your laptop, phone or tablet can't such as work privately on an airplane or train, watch 3D movies on a large screen in bright sunlight, play interactive 3D games, or obtain heads-up light-of-sight directions or instructions while keeping your hands free and your eyes engaged in your environment."
