Bose is getting into the augmented reality business -- but with a focus on audio, rather than visual.
The audio company announced at SXSW that it’s working on a pair of augmented reality glasses that - instead of overlaying data onto the real world like Google Glass - add “audible layer of information and experiences," according to a report from CNET. It's also launching an augmented-reality platform and set up a $50 million venture to invest in companies and developers that want to build off it.
Its first AR prototype, which it described as "glasses to hear", is a pair of glasses with integrated headphones. They will be available sometime this summer for developers and manufacturers, in limited supply. Bose is pitching its AR platform as something that can be "built into headphones, eyewear, helmets, and more," and it explained that devices based on it can even include sensors.
These sensors can track head motions for gesture controls, for instance, and work with GPS from a paired phone to your track location: "The sensors send the motion and location data to a Bose AR-enabled app that aggregates the information, sending relevant, real-time content back to the user's ears instantly. And it can be used for multiple applications," John Gordon, a VP at Bose, told CNET.
The company imagines future Bose AR devices being used as tour headset-like devices at landmarks or statues, or devices that supply audio directions when you've arrived at an airport or venue. Interesting.