News from
the Future

By Cezara Muresan Every day, thousands of children make their way to school, often navigating busy streets and intersections. But how well do they really understand the risks? Last year,…

AR expert Martin Herdina explains why Artificial Intelligence and Eye Tracking are key to advancing Augmented Reality. In our interview, he talks about the latest progress of smart glasses and shares his insights into which industrial applications are proving successful. Learn what developments to expect in the coming years and where challenges remain.

Find out why the white sclera once gave us an evolutionary advantage and how our gaze behaviour optimises technologies such as autonomous driving and smart glasses. An exciting look at how traits that once evolved for survival are now being used in completely new contexts.

Smart glasses are still a relatively new technology, raising unanswered questions regarding data protection and occupational safety. Due to the wide variety of products and applications, there are currently only a few specific legal regulations and recommendations. Renate Stiegler, Product Manager at Viewpointsystem, explains the key factors that companies should consider to successfully implement smart glasses.  

The Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s first headset, has made quite a splash upon its market debut – from spine-tingling commercials and enthusiastic reviews to sharp critiques. But what’s the real feel of the Apple Vision Pro? Our team put it through its paces, examining especially the eye tracking feature pivotal for control and navigation.

In the fast-paced world of traffic, experience and youth often find themselves at odds. But what if we could take a peek behind the wheel, revealing insights into driving behavior that go beyond any traffic regulation? That’s precisely what the ORF Dok 1 team, equipped with our Smart Glasses, was able to do when they challenged 59-year-old journalist Hanno Settele and 21-year-old Digital Creator Safiye to an unusual competition.

Our Smart Glasses streamline learning, from mastering complex machinery to immersive practical training. With real-time gaze visualization, trainers offer targeted feedback while learners gain valuable insights into task essentials. Bulky manuals are replaced by immersive videos, live remote training becomes reality, and sessions are dynamic and engaging.

Every year in early January, the entertainment mecca of the United States transforms into a global tech hub: CES in Las Vegas is THE tech event to kick off the new year. Even though it’s primarily a consumer-oriented show, CES is hugely influential and helps set the agenda for the year. This is what you need to know from the show floor.

Despite a slight slowdown in inflation, the manufacturing industry will face significant challenges in 2024. Products, raw materials and services have become more expensive at all levels of the supply chain. At the same time, these challenges offer opportunities to become more resilient in the marketplace and to leverage the potential of digital tools and technologies. High energy prices and rising labor costs are not only a burden, but also an opportunity for change.

Micro-optics are fundamental components in camera systems for smart devices, mobility applications, or medical products. We speak with Nils Fahrbach, CEO of Printoptix, and Frank Linsenmaier, CTO of Viewpointsystem, about the ambitious project “3DPrintoptixMarket“: Using a novel 3D printing process, high-end micro-optics are manufactured in a single step. Used in Viewpointsystem’s smart glasses, they should enable individual product customization.

Automation and digitalization are reshaping roles and professions in manufacturing. Entire workforces must adapt and learn new skills, such as operating or programming machines and robots, after previously performing manual tasks. There is also a growing need to make work processes more efficient and safer. This is where eye tracking comes in. Companies like Toyota and Denso have already successfully integrated this technology on the shop floor for various applications.

We demand more and more computing power from our devices, but conventional computing architectures are increasingly reaching their physical limits. In their search for new ways to continue scaling up processing, researchers and chip designers are taking inspiration from the way the brain processes information. This is also happening in the EU-funded research project “NimbleAI”: Viewpointsystem and 18 partners are developing a neuromorphic ‘super-chip’ that will be extremely powerful while consuming very little energy.