Qualcomm and ODG Announce Augmented Reality Smartglasses With Snapdragon 835 Processor

ODG unveils its first consumer AR/VR glasses, built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip.

| Updated: Wednesday, January 4, 2017, 14:09 [IST]

ODG (Osterhout Design Group), a leading developer and manufacturer of smart glasses and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have announced the R-8 and R-9 augmented reality smartglasses at this year's CES. These two will be the first announced devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

Qualcomm and ODG Announce Smartglasses With Snapdragon 835 Processor

Additionally, with the launch of the R-8 and R-9 smartglasses, it looks like ODG is making its first attempt at creating a new content ecosystem for its eyewear and it also looks like the company is aiming at a wider range of consumers.

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ODG's R-8 is targeted at the early adopter consumers, and R-9 is for a wide variety of wide field-of-view (FOV) experiences from light enterprise to prosumer media consumption, and as a development platform for sophisticated mobile AR/VR and smartglasses applications.

However, coming to what the device is all about, the R-8 and R-9 glasses are both running the ODG's Android Nougat 7.0-based Reticle OS. They both have six-degree-of-freedom tracking, so users can place digital items in real space.

Based on the previously announced Project Horizon prototype the R-9 is the high-end model which has been designed to provide more industrial options. The device has a 50-degree field of view with 1080p resolution and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera that can record 4K video.

Similarly, R-8 brings the power of mobile virtual computing to consumers. While R-8 is a lower version compared to R-9, the device comes with 40-degree FOV and HD resolution. And this device is lighter and more sleek which helps innovative consumers to access the familiarity of movies, sports, gaming, navigation and education experiences without any trouble. R-8 offers the same private screen that floats in your view with the added dimension of AR, VR and Mixed Reality overlays for a richer computing experience.

On the other hand, both devices will benefit from advanced features within Qualcomm Technologies' Snapdragon VR SDK, such as hardware acceleration, visual-inertial odometry based 6DOF motion tracking.

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On the same note, Raj Talluri, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc said that with the company's unique SoC design expertise it has enabled ODG to meet their design goals and develop lighter, smaller and sleeker smartglasses that now take advantage of the new processor's superior performance and power efficiency.

Ralph Osterhout, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ODG also expressed that the Snapdragon 835 processor's superior performance and power efficiency is allowing the company to accelerate along the path in bringing a self-contained, lightweight and powerful headworn computing device with stunning visual experiences to the consumer. He added that it was an honor to work so closely with the brilliant minds at Qualcomm Technologies and that it was also a proud moment for ODG to be the first to announce the integration of this latest technology into their devices.