Samsung Electronics has unveiled four new Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) projects from its C-Lab incubator, including a pair of smart sunglasses and a mobile app for visually impaired people.
Monitorless
The Monitorless device is a special pair of glasses that display content streamed from a smartphone or PC, and can also double as an AR and VR headset thanks to electrochromic glass behind the normal lenses.
“Monitorless addresses the fact that there isn’t enough AR and VR content currently available and also enables users to play high-capacity PC games on a mobile device,” Samsung said.
Relúmino
Relúmino is a visual aid app that helps visually impaired people and the near-blind to read books and watch TV with new levels of clarity, according to Samsung.
It works as a mobile app that when used with the Samsung Gear VR can enhance visuals and text so that they can be enjoyed in better quality. The technology has the ability to remap blind spots by displacing images and uses an Amlser grid chart to correct distorted images caused by metamorphopsia.
VuildUs
VuildUs is a VR home interior and furnishing solution that enables users to see what a new furniture purchase would look like and whether it would fit in the room before they buy it. It consists of a 360-degree depth camera and a mobile app for VR compatible devices. Users scan their home using the camera and the data is used to build a VR version of the home, which the user can enter when wearing a VR headset. They can then view an item of furniture in 3D, and buy it if they like how it looks in the room. Samsung claims that the solution removes the need to measure space before buying furniture because it enables users to see whether it would fit in real time.
traVRer
The fourth project, known as traVRer, is a 360-degree travel experience platform that allows users to visit landmarks and famous places around the world in virtual reality, with the mood, noises and events captured.
All four C-Lab projects are being exhibited at this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
“We continue to support new ideas and creativity, especially when these traits could lead to new experiences for consumers,” commented Lee Jae Il, vice president of Samsung Electronics Creativity & Innovation Centre. “These latest examples of C-Lab projects are a reminder that we have some talented entrepreneurial people who are unafraid to break new ground. We’re looking forward to further exploring novel applications for VR and 360-degree video because there are endless possibilities in this area.”
