Apple may have up to 1000 engineers working on augmented reality, if estimates from UBS analyst Steven Milunovichare correct. San Francisco-based computer vision startup Occipital is comparably scrappy. But the company nonetheless believes it can beat Apple to market, and is now gearing up to sell an augmented reality (AR) headset for Apple’s iPhone next month.
Bridge, as the headset is being called combines recent-generation iPhones with a Gear VR-like headset and a depth sensor capable of scanning rooms and incorporating real-world obstacles into mixed-reality applications.
The headset makes use of the iPhone’s camera for a live video feed of the environment, which is enhanced through the addition of a wide-angle lens. In the headset, users then get to see that live camera image overlayed with virtual objects.
During a demo at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco this week, Occipital showed off an app that made it possible to play fetch with a small robot dog, complete with balls bouncing off real-world walls and tables. Users could also place virtual furniture in the room, and rearrange it to see how a chair would look like at a certain spot.
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Source: Variety