Canon unveiled its next
enterprise-focused AR headset which aims to replace its MREAL Display MD-10,
which the company launched in Japan in mid-2016 for the astounding price tag of
¥9 million (~$82,300). The PC-tethered AR headset, dubbed MREAL Display MD-20,
doesn’t have a release date or price yet, although Canon is showing off the
device at this year’s 3D & Virtual Reality Exhibition (IVR), which will be
held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan from February 26th to 28th. The news was
first reported by Japanese publication MoguraVR (Japanese). Like its
predecessor, the MREAL Display MD-20 is going to be sold on the Japanese
market, and is couched as a business support tool for the manufacturing
industry such as automobile makers. MD-20’s improvements over MD-10 include a
new CMOS sensor with global shutter.
The MD-20 is also said to have
expanded the display panel’s color gamut, which boasts 2,560 × 1,600 per eye
resolution, and widened the horizontal field of view by a just a few degrees,
now 70° (horizontal) and 40° (vertical); MD-10 features a 60° horizontal and
40° vertical FOV. The CMOS sensor is also used for positional tracking by
generating a real-time spatial map, although businesses can purchase add-on
extras such as visual markers and optical sensors (sold separately). The MD-20
is admittedly still under development, with Canon still aiming at further
miniaturization and weight reduction in addition to working on its room-scale
positioning. In comparison to Facebook, Magic Leap, and Microsoft, Canon has
been in somewhat of a backseat position when it comes to AR/VR hardware
development.
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