Laster Technologies, a French company that specializes in "mobile informative eyewear," is raising money via a Kickstarter campaign to roll-out its new SeeThru smart glasses. SeeThru differs from many other smart glasses by shunning a camera in a bid to protect the privacy of those around the user.
The company positions SeeThru as "wireless augmented reality eyewear." According to Laster, the device uses the processing power of the user’s smartphone, to which it connects via Bluetooth. Images and information are then relayed to SeeThru’s lens.
SeeThru can be used to take calls, listen to music and display e-mails, text messages, contact data and other text. In addition to this standard functionality, Laster is developing a number of apps for use in a variety of activities.
Satellite navigation and hands-free apps will be available and so too will apps for more specific uses. A sailing instrumentation app will allow users to track boat speed, wind speed and direction, a head-up display app for flying will allow pilots to monitor airplane instrumentation, and an app for para-gliders will display flight information such as air speed, ground speed and acceleration.
Laster claims that the SeeThru offers the best image quality on the market and a vision field that is 2-3x larger than that of Google Glass. Resolution is 800 x 600 pixels and the aspect ratio can be set to 4:3 or 16:9. As most of the processing power is done by the user’s phone, SeeThru will reportedly last for 6 to 8 hours on a single charge, plus production costs are minimized.
SeeThru features three gyroscope sensors, accelerometers and compasses, GPS tracking, head tracking and built-in audio.
Laster is not alone in the smart glass market, with releases or updates announced from a variety of companies in the last couple of weeks alone, including Epson, Vuzix and Pivothead. The company itself was established in 2005 and claims to have pioneered much of the glass technology used in similar devices.
What Is the SeeThru?
The Laster SeeThru is lightweight (just under 2 oz.) wireless augmented reality (AR) eyewear. When you wear the SeeThru, information about your surroundings pops up without disrupting your normal field of vision. The information you see changes depending on what you are seeing. For instance, if you’re looking at a mountain chain, information about each peak can pop up alongside the landscape as you take it in. This kind of contextual information gives you a better awareness of your surroundings. There’s no looking up or down at tiny screens in the corner of your glasses with the SeeThru. Look the world straight in the eye, and the SeeThru will support you, seamlessly.
Augmented reality is a technology that we feel everyone should be able to experience. There are just so many exciting applications we have developed already—for biking, sailing, skiing, skateboarding, and flying—with many more possibilities in the future.
How it works?
The Laster SeeThru is the first genuine wireless augmented reality glasses device. Your smartphone acts as the SeeThru’s processor. The two devices connect wirelessly via Bluetooth.
You can download currently available apps onto your phone, or develop your own, and use the SeeThru to experience the world in a completely new way. Thanks to Laster’s patented core technology, you can see crystal-clear images and augmented reality information on the SeeThru’s lens screen. You can even answer phone calls with the SeeThru’s built-in Bluetooth kit, listen to music, display e-mails, text messages, contact data, and e-books and other texts.
The rechargeable battery can power the SeeThru for up to 6-8 hours.
We are developing several applications to accompany the first round of manufacturing that are designed to support users in a variety of outdoor activities
SPECIFICATIONS & PERFORMANCES
The company positions SeeThru as "wireless augmented reality eyewear." According to Laster, the device uses the processing power of the user’s smartphone, to which it connects via Bluetooth. Images and information are then relayed to SeeThru’s lens.
SeeThru can be used to take calls, listen to music and display e-mails, text messages, contact data and other text. In addition to this standard functionality, Laster is developing a number of apps for use in a variety of activities.
Satellite navigation and hands-free apps will be available and so too will apps for more specific uses. A sailing instrumentation app will allow users to track boat speed, wind speed and direction, a head-up display app for flying will allow pilots to monitor airplane instrumentation, and an app for para-gliders will display flight information such as air speed, ground speed and acceleration.
Laster claims that the SeeThru offers the best image quality on the market and a vision field that is 2-3x larger than that of Google Glass. Resolution is 800 x 600 pixels and the aspect ratio can be set to 4:3 or 16:9. As most of the processing power is done by the user’s phone, SeeThru will reportedly last for 6 to 8 hours on a single charge, plus production costs are minimized.
SeeThru features three gyroscope sensors, accelerometers and compasses, GPS tracking, head tracking and built-in audio.
Laster is not alone in the smart glass market, with releases or updates announced from a variety of companies in the last couple of weeks alone, including Epson, Vuzix and Pivothead. The company itself was established in 2005 and claims to have pioneered much of the glass technology used in similar devices.
What Is the SeeThru?
The Laster SeeThru is lightweight (just under 2 oz.) wireless augmented reality (AR) eyewear. When you wear the SeeThru, information about your surroundings pops up without disrupting your normal field of vision. The information you see changes depending on what you are seeing. For instance, if you’re looking at a mountain chain, information about each peak can pop up alongside the landscape as you take it in. This kind of contextual information gives you a better awareness of your surroundings. There’s no looking up or down at tiny screens in the corner of your glasses with the SeeThru. Look the world straight in the eye, and the SeeThru will support you, seamlessly.
Augmented reality is a technology that we feel everyone should be able to experience. There are just so many exciting applications we have developed already—for biking, sailing, skiing, skateboarding, and flying—with many more possibilities in the future.
How it works?
The Laster SeeThru is the first genuine wireless augmented reality glasses device. Your smartphone acts as the SeeThru’s processor. The two devices connect wirelessly via Bluetooth.
You can download currently available apps onto your phone, or develop your own, and use the SeeThru to experience the world in a completely new way. Thanks to Laster’s patented core technology, you can see crystal-clear images and augmented reality information on the SeeThru’s lens screen. You can even answer phone calls with the SeeThru’s built-in Bluetooth kit, listen to music, display e-mails, text messages, contact data, and e-books and other texts.
The rechargeable battery can power the SeeThru for up to 6-8 hours.
We are developing several applications to accompany the first round of manufacturing that are designed to support users in a variety of outdoor activities
SPECIFICATIONS & PERFORMANCES
Display definition available : 800 x 600 pixels
Eye Box : > 18 mm
Field of view (FOV) : 25° diag.
Accommodation distance : Infinity
Image format : 4/3 or 16/9
Colour : 16,7 millions colors
Transparency : Yes (optical see-through technology)
Brightness / Luminance : > 5200 cd/m2 (5200 nits)
Interface with SmartPhone : Bluetooth 3.0 (compatible with Bluetooth 4.0)
Data transmission : Wireless
Audio Transmission : Yes (Built-in Bluetooth kit)
Augmented Reality Capability : Yes
Head Tracker : 10 DOF (Gyroscopes, Accelerometers, Compass)
Autonomy : 6 – 8 hours
Weight : ~ 2 oz (55 g) battery included
MAIN FEATURES
Wireless connection & communication with smartphone
GPS localization and navigation (visual guidance, POI records, geolocalisation info, speed, alarms, synthetics data displays,…)
Shortcut Interface control
Built in battery
10 DOF Head Tracker
Built-in audio (Phone, Music)
Contact book navigation Phone
Text / E-mail
Glasses Control interface compatible with all kind of gloves
What Makes SeeThru Unique?
1. Genuine Augmented Reality
The SeeThru offers unrivaled AR applications with a full patented optical see-through technology. Augmented reality contextual information is overlaid directly onto the object you're looking at without any image distortion, thanks to the SeeThru's transparent lens. Compare this with other AR devices, where contextual information is usually displayed on a separate intermediary screen after taking a separate video capture.
2. Wear and Play!
Just put on your SeeThru, and instantly see images in AR. No adjustments are required. Thanks to the SeeThru's considerably large eye box (>18mm), there’s no need to adjust the eyewear for different head size or shape, or inter-pupillary distance. Wear and play AR. It's as simple as that.
3. High Quality Image & High Definition - Suitable for Outdoor Applications
The optical technology embedded in the SeeThru is unique, and is recognized by professionals as offering the best image quality on the market. We’re talking full-color, sharp, smooth and bright (> 5200 nits). The SeeThru provides the highest definition augmented reality view in wireless and a 2-3x larger vision field than Google Glass and any other consumer glasses on the market today.
4. Ultra Low Power Consumption
With up to 8 hours of battery life, the SeeThru is the best way to experience AR all the day. We keep energy use low by using only Bluetooth to communicate with your smartphone to produce and transmit AR content. This architecture reduces not only the SeeThru’s energy use, but also its overall cost.
5. Privacy
To protect privacy, we decided not to include a camera or recording capabilities in the SeeThru (no spy glasses here!). Instead, the SeeThru’s AR capabilities and tracking are supported by 10 built-in location and GPS sensors.
6. Accuracy
To provide all of that AR contextual information, we have embedded the most accurate sensors on the market (3 gyroscopes, 3 accelerometers, 3 compasses), and use your Smartphone’s processor to determine your location and what you are seeing.
7. Integration & Flexibility
Manage your AR apps on your smartphone and take advantage of flexibility: since smartphone computing power increases regularly, the more performance level is available on your smartphone, the higher AR performance you experience, without any kind of upgrade on your SeeThru.
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