CastAR

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CastAR
Castar 1.jpg
Category smartglasses
Developer Technical Illusion
Announced May 2013[1]
Released Developers: 22 November 2014[2]
Consumers: Q4 2015
Price 400 USD (pre-order)[3]
Operating system
Display projector
Resolution 1280x720 pixels[4]
Weight less than 100 g[4]
Controls gaze, inertial, controller[4]
Standalone[5]
http://castar.com/

CastAR are augmented reality smartglasses developed by an augmented reality hardware and software US company Technical Illusions, a spin-off company founded by former employees of Valve Corporation Jeri Ellsworth and Rick Johnson in 2013.[6] Apart from the augmented reality features, it can also virtually embed visual elements in the real world based on what the user is looking at (see Main characteristics). The company plans to focus on the social aspects of gaming, and streamlining the experience of using the device so everyone can "open the box, put on the glasses and play." There are separate teams working on virtual experiences for the device, mainly a boardgame, surgery simulation, and a "Star Trek holodeck-like" experience.[7]

The reason the company has chosen augmented reality of full virtual reality is that, by the opinion of the company's CEO, and the co-founder, augmented reality fits in the way people already play. In the interview for Geeks of Doom, the company leadership discussed their idea of "shared personalised environment."' This shared space is a combination of virtual and actual environment around the user but tailored to the individual users. In the sense of an augmented reality boardgame, this means that individual players see the game elements only relevant to them, e.g. a war game's fog of war can be different to different players.[7]

Unlike other devices of this type, CasAR does not project the visual information directly onto the glasses or into the user's eyes, but rather project it onto a retro-reflective sheet which then reflect the image back onto the polarized glasses. The combination of a stereoscopic image and a head-tracking sensor then help to achieve the sense of depth. In addition, the reflective surface features an RFID tracking grid. This allows the items equipped with RFID tags to be recognized by the device and to be used as gaming tokens for example.[4]

The company successfully funded the project via Kickstarter on 15th November 2013.[8] The company plans to use the funds to make the device smaller, better looking, and add an augmented reality boardgame to the package.[7]

Main characteristics

The device is an augmented reality head-mounted display that has to be connected to a computer for processing and creating the visual information via an HDMI cable. CastAR is equipped with two 72O pixels resolution 120 Hz micro-projectors built-into the top of the frame of the glasses, one for each eye. These project the visual information on a retro-reflective surface that supplies the role of a gaming board. A camera in between the projectors scans the surface for infrared markers to track the head position of the wearer and the software adjusts the projected image accordingly. The nature of the retro-reflective surface allows the players to view only the visual information relevant to them, and from their own perspective. Custom software that the user has installed on their computer as well as an Altera Cyclone FPGA[9] video processing chip in the device handle creation and processing the visual information.

CastAR features custom controller called Magic Wand that can track its movement in three dimensions allowing the manipulation of the virtual elements.[10] The company also offers a VR clip-on[11] that can be attached to the glasses and acts as a reflective screen by itself, thus eliminating the need of having a retro-reflective surface sheet for the glasses to display virtual elements.[4]

Purpose

Company & People

Important Dates

Ethical Issues

Health Risks

Enhancement/Therapy/Treatment

Public & Media Impact and Presentation

Public Policy

Related Technologies, Projects or Scientific Research

References