It’s no secret that Facebook is planning to do something with Augmented Reality (AR). Not only has the company bought the makers of the popular Oculus Rift headset, but showcased its plans during its F8 conference this year. Now though, a patent application gives us a glimpse as to what the company may have up its sleeve. The application is for “waveguide display with two-dimensional scanner” and describes a method to create augmented reality.
As per the patent, the device would use a waveguide display system to display the virtual objects. A source assembly would be used to emit the image light. This light would then be directed to the user’s eyes.
During its F8 conference this year, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg announced its Augmented Reality Platform and said that it would allow developers to create new AR experiences for its users. He also noted that it would be compatible with AR hardware such as eyeglasses in the future.
Microsoft and Google already have AR hardware available to consumers. Microsoft’s effort, the HoloLens, was unveiled a few years ago and the company recently updated its device with a custom designed AI chip. Called the “AI coprocessor” it allows the HoloLens to run offline as it can process all the data from the HoloLens’ sensors without uploading to the cloud.
Google’s effort, Google Glass was thought to be dead. However, reports suggest that the company may be testing the product as an enterprise-only device. It is noted that the company may be selling a new and improved version of the Google Glass Explorer Edition to many companies including AGCO, Boeing, Volkswagen and DHL. It should be noted that the compnay already has an AR platform for smartphones called Tango.