Back in February, Super Ventures launched a $10 million incubator program in San Francisco focused solely on the emerging augmented reality (AR) market. The fund focuses on startups in the emerging AR field. Now Epson, which has developed its own Moverio AR smart glasses, has joined forces with Super Ventures.
Epson will provide entrepreneurs with pre-production versions of its Moverio device and work with Super Ventures in discovering new companies. Eric Mizufuka, product manager of new ventures for Epson America, talks about the opportunities in the augmented reality market for businesses in this exclusive interview.
What’s the latest on the development of the Moverio?
Having had its Moverio smart glasses on the market for more than five years, Epson identified two critical requirements for glasses to hit mainstream adoption: comfort and affordability. Weighing in at under 70 grams, the BT-300 is one of the lightest AR/VR systems available. Additionally, it is a stand-alone solution that can be purchased for under $800. Combining a breakthrough, silicon-based OLED digital display technology, the Intel Atom processor and Android OS 5.1, the Moverio BT-300 enables a truly transparent mobile AR experiences for business and consumers.
Why did you decide to enter into this partnership with Super Ventures?
Unlike most Venture Capital firms, Super Ventures was born from the AR industry. They have a network of more than 150,000 professionals, one of the largest AR and wearables communities in the world. Ori Inbar, Matt Miesnieks, and Tom Emrich are early pioneers in the space, and are well-connected to everyone in the industry, from end-users to platform partners. Epson has been making AR smart glasses for more than five years, and while there’s been great progress, we’d like to see things move even faster.
How will you work with them to target investment opportunities in AR?
Outside of hardware, Epson is helping by funneling top AR partners to Super Ventures for funding, mentorships and introductions. Epson is leveraging its more than 70 years in business and large existing network of partners – from robotics to projectors to printing solutions – to help accelerate the adoption of its partners’ solutions.
Will it be required for companies to support the Epson Moverio BT-300?
The Moverio BT-300 AR smart glasses run on a stock, Android operating system, and working with the platform requires no specific certification process or support. Android is widely adopted in the enterprise space and nearly all Fortune 500 companies support it.
How are enterprise companies using those smart glasses for business?
Below are a few examples of use cases of the Moverio AR glasses:
Automotive: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team enhances its garage tour guest experience using Epson Moverio and augmented reality. (video example)
Retail: Online shop with in-store demonstrations – GoInStore (video example) is using Moverios to provide an option for online shoppers to experience real-time, in-store demonstrations of products, increasing sales conversions especially on high-ticket items.
Medical: Creating 3D dental prosthetics – iDent (More Information on iDent) is distributing Moverio units to thousands of dentists for its CAD/CAM systems for onsite dental prosthetics.
Research: Helping the blind see – The Moverios are being used in a university study to help the legally blind distinguish light from dark and discern people and obstacles. (See video here).
What separates the Moverio technology from the new Microsoft HoloLens Developer Edition that just shipped?
The Moverio BT-300 features a significantly different form factor than the HoloLens, and is offered at a much lower price point. Epson’s smart glasses are actual glasses that can be worn for a long period of time, crucial for mainstream adoption. While the HoloLens experiences are quite impressive, it’s still a developer kit. Mainstream applications of the technology will likely be years away. Epson, on the other hand, is focusing on current needs and targeting areas that are addressable today.
A lot of headlines and money has followed Facebook’s investing in VR over AR. What opportunities do you see for AR in business?
Epson agrees that 2016 will be the year of VR, specifically for entertainment and gaming applications. Facebook invested in this wave; but is also investing heavily in AR. In the long run, AR is the larger opportunity. Second screen applications are necessary for those who need hands-free applications, such as flying a drone safely, which allows the pilot to maintain line of sight with the drone but also see what the camera is seeing. The medical industry is also a field that uses this solution, which allows medical professionals like doctors and dentists to collect, update and recall patient and other medical data in real time. For successful enterprise adoption, AR platforms must be wearable, comfortable and offered at an affordable price.
And when and how do you see AR becoming a consumer application?
In the near-term, the majority of consumers will likely have their first introduction to an AR device in a rental scenario – at a museum, sports venue or amusement park. Movie theaters will also expose consumers to AR glasses. For example, the glasses will provide translations and subtitling, as well as allow the visually impaired to see better, as the glasses help to simplify visual data. General adoption is still 3 to 5 years away and is highly dependent on key enhancements, including comfort, price, form factor, and usability.
What do you feel the AR industry learned from the Google Glass launch?
We’ve learned that not only do AR glasses need a killer application for the users, but this value needs to be understood by the general public. For example, drone pilots are able to fly drones more safely with the glasses, which Epson has had a lot of traction with through its partnership with DJI. Even pilots of small aircraft are looking for similar applications – an example is Aeroglass.
How do you see VR and AR living together as technologies five year from now?
Inherently, all AR devices are VR capable – you simply have to add an opaque shield that blocks out the real world. Today, the FOV (field of view) or digital screen size on VR devices is much larger than on AR devices. This is a temporary, technical limitation. In five years, AR screen sizes will equal those delivered by VR. Once this happens, AR devices will dominate as a content delivery vehicle for both AR and VR experiences.
