Johnny Yu

Reviewed.com / USA TODAY

Virtual and augmented reality devices may soon become mainstream technology

Virtual reality devices such as the Avegant Glyph provide immersive experiences into digital worlds

Augmented reality deices like the Epson Moverio BT-200 overlay images into your regular view

Bring up the subject of virtual reality with a hardcore gamer, and conversation will inevitably shift to the Oculus Rift. It's not surprising: VR has been a holy grail since the early 1980s, thanks to a string of popular films stretching from Tron through The Matrix. The much-ballyhooed Rift seems set to finally bring those fantasies to life.

But while the Rift deserves the attention it's been getting, it's just one of many virtual- and augmented-reality devices set to hit the market in the near future. From advanced media consumption to improved human-machine interaction, many of these products remind us that the future of this technology doesn't lie in gaming alone.

Avegant Glyph Personal Home Theater

Michigan-based start-up Avegant is developing the Glyph, a headset that combines a pair of premium over-ear headphones with a flip-down visor. But unlike conventional VR headsets that employ miniature LCD displays, the Glyph takes the sci-fi-inspired step of projecting images directly onto your retinas.

This Virtual Retinal Display delivers digital content in a way that mimics how we see the world naturally. We tried out a prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, and found it produced brilliantly clear pictures that were notably free of pixilation. Since the device projects to each eye independently, images and videos can be delivered in lifelike 3D.

On its newly launched Kickstarter page, the Glyph is advertised as a "mobile personal theater," but it's also something more. Avegant CEO Edward Tang says that despite surface similarities, Glyph and Oculus Rift "aren't competing for the same market. Actually, I think people can own both devices because they serve very different purposes."

There are also hints that the Glyph's unusual hardware could be used for purposes more ambitious than simple entertainment. Though it can't correct for astigmatism, diopters built into the Glyph can handle severe near- or far-sightedness. That speaks to potential medical uses for the technology.

Tang confirms that Avegant has explored repurposing the retinal display to help vision-impaired users see the world in ways traditional glasses can't match, but doesn't have anything public to share just yet.

Epson Moverio BT-200 Smart Glasses

Though it's best known for producing consumer printers, Epson has been in the augmented-reality market since 2011, when it launched the Moverio BT-100 smart glasses. At this year's CES, the company unveiled their successor, the BT-200.

These glasses can be used to play games, but that's not their only purpose. Where devices such as the Glyph and Oculus Rift create immersive virtual experiences, the BT-200 attempts to enhance your vision of the real world, overlaying it with digital information through two transparent displays. Downloadable Android apps can provide real-time, interactive information about objects in your field of view.

Some apps currently being developed for the BT-200 include a training program for auto mechanics that highlights and labels car parts in the wearer's field of view, and a medical imaging app that overlays a patient's body with their vascular system.

While the BT-200 has all the hardware to serve as a social-media and entertainment device, Epson is first targeting the commercial market. Eric Mizufuka, Epson's product manager for new markets, says, "To have technology on your face is still a bit of a foreign concept. Gaining that social acceptance is going to be the biggest hurdle."

Tools, not toys

There are several schools of thought on how to clear that hurdle. The most common seems to be creating more fashionable wearable tech products. Avegant, for instance, is already on the third iteration of its as-yet-unreleased Glyph, and each revision has involved a significant aesthetic upgrade.

Need another example? Look to the recently announced Pebble Steel smart watch, which costs $100 more than its predecessor, despite the fact that its notable improvements are all cosmetic.

On the other hand, Epson's approach of focusing on commercial applications is a kind of end run around the hurdle. The idea seems to be that if these devices allow people to do their work better and more efficiently, they'll simply become the new normal.

Augmented and virtual reality may have begun as Hollywood fantasy, but 2014 could be the year where they go mainstream. Avegant and Epson are just two among a host of companies — including Sony, Vuzix, Meta, Recon Instruments, Optinvent and GlassUp — pushing the envelope of what this technology can do to enhance our everyday lives.

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