A new patent filed by Samsung may have just revealed the design for the company’s upcoming AR Glasses. The patent application, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and first spotted by 91mobiles, shows a realistic-looking pair of glasses which Samsung describes as a “head-mounted device.”
The patent images show a thick frame where it may house its internal components. Although this gadget is likely to depend heavily on a paired smartphone, at least the first-gen ones, it will still need its own processing power and sensors. The glasses could become a standalone device in the future, though.
The thick frame will likely pack the main processor, RAM, and Wi-Fi transceivers, as well as cellular connectivity chips if Samsung chooses to offer. There’s also a big strip above the lenses. Dual front-facing cameras are expected to sit there along with other sensors.
According to the patent documentation, the gadget will have a metal build and synthetic finish. The patent doesn’t detail any technical specs of the upcoming Samsung AR Glasses, though. There’s probably still some time to go before the Korean company makes this device commercially available.
Samsung AR Glasses design revealed
Samsung has been working on various AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technologies over the past few years. A pair of AR Glasses are among the company’s AR and VR projects. It showcased a demo of its AR Glasses during the CES 2020 keynote back in January.
A patent filing discovered a few months later revealed how its AR Glasses could improve the navigation experience while driving. According to the documents accompanying that patent, the system could include two cameras. A road-facing camera will read the outer environment while an inward-facing camera will analyze the driver.
The idea is to overlay the whole turn-by-turn navigation information and signs on the lenses, directly in front of a driver’s eyes. There already exist some heads-up displays that can show navigation information on the windshield. However, Samsung’s AR glasses could make this experience more immersive and closer to reality.
Samsung’s implementation also offers additional functionalities. One of the possible features mentioned in the patent includes the ability to look at a gas station through the lenses and see the price of gas at that particular station. The driver could also look around for additional information such as exit ramps, points of interest, and more.
That said, Samsung develops various technologies every year but not all of them end up in real-life products. As for a pair of AR Glasses, there’s certainly a possibility but probably not with all the above-discussed features just yet. Perhaps, this is one for the future.
