How does the world look through smart glasses?
The only thing we know for certain about the future, is that it is sure to be different. It may sound like science fiction, but soon many of us will wear smart glasses that enhance the reality around us with digital objects and make our everyday lives both easier and more efficient. The world will hardly be the same.
Augmented Reality (AR) has been around for a while, but now things are really starting to move. In the near future, we will all be impacted by this technology and the opportunities it offers.
“AR is created when virtual objects are placed on top of the reality we see around us through our mobile camera or smart glasses”, Joakim Nydemark, CEO of Crunchfish Gesture Interaction AB, explains. The company develops technology that allows you to interact in the world of augmented reality via intuitive hand gestures.
As with so much else, smart phones and tablets initially created the conditions for AR, whereby the user is given a new experience using the camera and software in such devices.
“Using smart glasses frees both hands and provides quick access to new information through a transparent screen, hanging in the air right in front of the user’s eyes. Crunchfish’s technology makes it possible to interact with the augmented reality without needing to touch a physical screen. Crunchfish’s gesture control technology lets users interact with virtual objects through hand gestures. This means that we can look up from the mobile display and not only make the content of the phone more naturally accessible, but also access relevant information about everything around us”, Joakim continues.
”Crunchfish’s gesture control technology is absolutely world class”
– Joakim Nydemark
The smart glasses are usually connected to the mobile phone similarly to a smart watch, but in the future, it is predicted to replace the phone as the device you always want to carry with you. With a mobile connected to smart glasses, you can make calls, browse the phone book, take pictures and surf the web. Everything is projected as an extra visible layer in the glasses, while the phone can be left in the pocket or purse and both your hands are free. In the long run, smart glasses will replace the mobile phone as AR opens up for many more possibilities.
“Imagine you are out walking in town. Directions to your destination can be projected in front of your eyes, and by pointing the camera in your glasses at different objects, a building for example, you can get information about when the house was built, if there is an apartment for sale or drawings of how it looks inside. Once inside the apartment, the AR can show you how a room will look with different shades of color or wallpapers, or how a specific sofa would fit in the living room”, Joakim explains.
AR will not only revolutionize and facilitate our private sphere. The new technology will also create new opportunities for our working lives, streamlining and simplifying them. The technology is already today in many workplaces, as part of efforts to make companies and industries more digital and effective.
“Imagine repairing a machine or servicing a car. With the help of smart glasses, the service technician can get instructions projected in front of him on what is to be checked and in what order the various steps are to be performed, but also how, if he is unsure, by displaying a step-by-step description. Similarly, the technology can also be used in manufacturing. A new employee can quickly learn what, how and in what order things should be done, for example during assembly where it is important to assemble things in the right order”, says Joakim.
“The breakthrough of AR technology is not far away. As soon as one of the big electronics companies, say Apple, launches attractive smart glasses for consumers, things will snowball – perhaps as early as next year – and at a cost that will probably be on a par with what you would pay for a regular mobile phone today. The technology is currently being honed. One of the keys to success is to produce smart glasses that are attractive and comfortable enough for you to want to wear them on a daily basis. With limited space for electronics, the demand on performance is high. Crunchfish’s gesture control technology is absolutely world-class and gives the user full flexibility to interact with the augmented reality, despite limited resources”, Joakim Nydemark concludes.
About Crunchfish – crunchfish.com/gestures
Crunchfish is a tech company with patent-pending solutions for Digital Cash that can be integrated with both the payment rail and in mobile wallets. The solutions are globally scalable and makes digital payments more robust as the risks of disruptions and downtime are eliminated. We have also developed Blippit, an app terminal that connects to cash register systems for both online and offline payments and have a patent-pending solution to reduce food waste. Crunchfish also develops gesture control of smart AR glasses for the consumer market. Crunchfish is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market since 2016, with headquarters in Malmö, Sweden and with representation in India.
