Magic leap is arguably one of the most secretive companies out there. The company has raised some serious funding and yet, almost no details are available with regards to what it has actually been developing. We merely know that it has something to do with augmented reality and perhaps a bit of AI as well. Well, Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala recently had the opportunity to do an interview for CNET and in it, he disclosed that he was also a part of Magic Leap’s testing programs. He then went on to describe some of what he interacted with.
So in one example, Iguodala talks about how he stuck his hand out and a character appeared in his hand and started acting like a digital assistant. This particular assistant was highly capable and was able to control the various smart devices scattered around the place. He also said that you could do things like controlling articles in your environment. For instance, you could turn lights on and off simply by looking at them.
You could even control the temperature using your gaze. Now I am not sure how that works, but I assume it involves looking at the thermostat perhaps.
With over $1.4 Billion in its coffers, Magic Leap isn’t exactly lacking funds. However, the major issue that has been holding the company from bringing a veritable revolution is the fact that the technology it purports to be using is simply too advanced. The company is apparently having some difficulty miniaturizing the light field display tech it is planning to build into its finished consumer product. The company could go for eye-tracking and avoid light field tech altogether.
Iguodala also interested us in the hardware. While others talked about helmet shaped devices, he mentioned something more along the lines of spectacles. This makes us think that the company might be nearing it final model and could be inching near an actual release date. Sure, the tech is an issue however, I am sure that the company will find a way. Eventually, the plan is to ship it in a form factor as small as a spectacle with all the computing power provided by a small box on your belt. However, Magic Leap still has a ways to go before it reaches that level.
