The market for AR in industry is currently in its infancy but is emerging. Current software solutions are still not able to seamlessly integrate into the customer’s back-end processes and there is a general lack of interoperability with modular approach. Current hardware devices (smart glasses) are still unreliable, heavy, and expensive and are not able to show a clear ROI.
Optinvent is a pioneer and leader in see-through retinal display technologies. Optinvent holds 32 granted international patents on its disruptive light guide based AR display technology. Optinvent’s technology is the only one in the world based on molded plastic elements making it lightweight and shatterproof while still having excellent brightness efficiency and color rendering. Optinvent’s world renowned team has received several awards for its products and is recognized industry wide for its expertise in the field of optics. Currently, the company makes a cutting-edge AR smart glass called ORA-2 based on its proprietary patented technology and extensive know-how.
According to IDC, “Head-mounted displays will see market-beating growth over the next five years”. Optinvent was named as one of the key innovators by IDC. This market is projected to grow to 25M units by 2022 from a few thousand units today. Optinvent is targeting this high growth sector with its lightweight and affordable ORA-2 devices and its complete solution package called ORA-EYE. Optinvent is poised to become a market leader in the professional segment and has a disruptive vision for the yet untapped potential of the consumer market.
ORA-2~ the Smart Glass Platform
Optinvent’s ORA-2 is a professional smart glass platform based on a large see-through virtual display capable of supporting a multitude of hands-free mobile computing and augmented reality applications with record setting performance and form factor. The ORA-2 is lightweight, weighing only 90grams and has a very long battery life of 4hrs. It is also one of the most affordable Smart Glasses out there with a selling price of 699€. Optinvent also provides a complete solution called ORA-EYE. ORA-EYE is an ergonomic application for Hands-Free Remote Maintenance, Remote Assistance and Training that works in conjunction with the the ORA-2 smart glasses.
Remote Assistance is the act of performing a task whereby a technician wearing an ORA-2 can communicate with an expert in another location “remotely” and hands free. Information is exchanged through the ORA-2 which is equipped with a camera, see through display, sound, and a microphone. The expert can guide the technician through complex tasks via a “see what I see” analogy. This is similar to video conferencing except that the expert sees “through the eyes” of the technician instead of just seeing each other.
The technician wearing the smart device equipped with a camera transmits the video feed wirelessly via WiFi through the network and gets instructions from the expert via voice and the display.
Remote Assistance can greatly improve the reliability and speed of maintenance operations and are an effective means of training technical staff to carry out complex tasks.
This obviously saves time and travel since the technician and expert can be at different locations across the globe.
The Ardent Leader
Kayvan Mirza, the CEO and Co-founder of Optinvent, is a born entrepreneur with a strong international background having built his career in the US and Europe. Before founding Optinvent, Kayvan held top management positions at large corporates such as HP, Invensnys, and Technicolor where he successfully created an optical component business from scratch. He also ran a high-volume component business with two R&D centers in Singapore and Germany, manufacturing in Indonesia (20mpcs/yr), and a worldwide sales force and agent network. He holds a BSEE degree from University of Illinois and has studied Operations Management at the ESCP the oldest business school in Europe.
Future Perspective
All attempts to introduce a consumer augmented reality (AR) device have failed so far because they have never managed to look like “normal glasses”. Google Glass, Microsoft Hololens, and the most recent Magic Leap One ($2.4 billion raised) have not gained significant traction with consumers because nobody want to wear ugly, heavy and uncomfortable computing devices on their face. It is not about the industrial design. The huge technology breakthroughs required are still too far away. Therefore, a new paradigm is needed.
Optinvent’s response is a disruptive new vision: Create the world’s first consumer AR device, based on headphones that people actually want to wear in public: the ORA-X.
The ORA-X combines the form factor of headphones with Optinvent’s exclusive patented AR display technology to create a brand-new product category.
