Augmented Dream is Coming?True

Martin’s Dream

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. shouted out like above. It’s about his dream, but it’s also all American’s dream regardless of any discrimination. The reason why Martin’s “I have a dream” speech become renowned is that it is about human’s right to equality and diversity not only in America but also in the whole world. Even though now I am going to introduce a very techy product, I wholeheartedly believe that the ultimate goal of an augmented reality headset is the very same context as Martin’s speech. Here’s why I claim that these have the same context.

DreamGlass is a unique concept AR headset

Have you ever heard DreamGlass? Do you know what is the term, augmented reality (AR)? Today is the day when DreamGlass is launched to the market. DreamGlass is the first product released by DreamWorld, which is a promising startup based in San Mateo, California. DreamGlass is an AR glass for users to enjoy a new perspective added SLAM powered 3D objects and simulation. It provides users with 90 degrees of FOV (Field of View) and 240 grams of weighted ergonomic wearing experience. Hand gesture tracking and 3-DOF(Degree of Freedom) of head tracking are also equipped. Basically, DreamGlass has the uniqueness of UX(User experience) because it is aiming to be more affordable for more people. 

As you know, Android has a leading market share in the global smartphone sales and users statistics and almost 2.7 billion people are using smartphones, so DreamGlass is first focusing on these users, and DreamTeam is developing for iOS users as well (but, currently Android only available.) Mobility is the key to enjoy more naturally immersive AR experience, so DreamTeam has developed DreamGlass to a light-weighted smartphone-tethered concept with the pretty affordable price (USD 399, Early bird discount)

DreamWorld’s Vision and Mission

The founder and CEO of DreamWorld, Kevin Zhong said, 

“There is so much potential in Augmented Reality, but the hardware limitations and steep price points of headsets available today have not made it easy for developers to fully contribute to the ecosystem. Through the DreamGlass, we hope to be the guiding light for all developers- providing them with an accessible top-quality platform to create top quality content. Only then, will they be empowered to bring a more genuine realism to augmented reality. We want to close the gap between reality and the augmented digital world.” 

DreamGlass is being released with Unity SDK for developers and AR enthusiasts. The SDK is not so difficult to use and make an idea happen. Probably, Kevin and DreamTeam are inviting you to make AR world more widened and expanded. Dreamworld’s Unity based SDK is supported by both Windows and Android and is designed to be straightforward to use, which allows developers to easily develop an array of high-quality content. DreamWorld believes that by providing an affordable, high-quality AR headset, developers have more opportunities to bring their content to life and provide the push needed to get AR to the mass market.

DreamWorld believes AR bridges the digital and physical worlds and will become a larger part of our daily lives. Their mission is to make reaching that future a collaborative effort that allows everyone who is enthusiastic about AR to take part in shaping the future. They’ve created the DreamGlass with the hope of making AR accessible to everyone. Part of that includes offering an affordable headset, with the functionality of a high-end AR headset, to developers hoping to build high-quality, interactive content.

My Dream is also coming true

Augmented Reality is still a cutting-edge technology and walks a kind of toddling walk. However, it will change the world and our vision with very interactive digital information. So many challenges and trials are struggling with some barriers in the super wide spectrum of user experiences and technical fields in the human-computer interaction. I also believe that ubiquitous AR world with the hands-free user interface is coming. There will be no constraints and restrictions to use and be connected with visible and invisible things in the world. Do you remember that I excerpted Martin Luther King Jr’s speech? He strongly shouted his dream about equal America regardless of any discrimination. Though his perspective was about the civil rights, It ignited the fire of diversity and equality in the world. I am connecting Martin’s approach to the media transformation. New Media should be also provided and distributed to more people and less barrier. I do not mention any shortcomings of other AR headsets, and I think DreamGlass is not a perfect one. However, I put my dream into DreamWorld’s mission.

Revolutionize the way we engage and interact with digital information.

Enable people to have immersive experiences in the most convenient way.

I am not an official member of DreamTeam, but I am willing to share this article with my connections, because I have also a dream to make AR go into the world and industry. My friends are still challenging and developing DreamGlass with their mission. My dream is still alive with Kevin, Jack, Ty and Bo’s stepping forward. I am excited for me to wear DreamGlass to my wife. It will be a virgin experience my wife comes to know what Augmented Reality is. It’s my tiny dream in the nearest future. However, I believe that this kind of process will be extended more and more by new owners of DreamGlass and the owner’s friends and family. I have a dream for more people to enjoy AR more conveniently and naturally. My friends in DreamWorld will develop iOS compatible version as well. Furthermore, Six degrees of freedom(6-DOF) positional tracking will be also provided in the future. Very flexible and various hand-gesture interactions will expand the possibility of a genuine hands-free user interface.

Give more freedom to your vision

However, the most important point of my dream is to give freedom of vision included invisible and imaginative digital visualization to the world. We have been confined to 2D flattened screen despite our vision is unlimited and omnidirectional. Additionally, the field of view of human eyes is nearly 120 degree in a direction. Our eyes are so smart and our brain is very responsive to light and focus. As we all know, current AI, ML and computer vision technology is attempting to resemble human’s cognitive system. My dream is focusing on new media transformation and I believe that DreamWorld’s goal and mission are also the same. I also believe that Kevin, Jack, Ty, and Bo are seeking to make much more similar computer vision experience with DreamGlass. It has just been opened to the world. I would like to concentrate on the scalability. It depends on AR hackers, enthusiasts and developers participation. I will be willing to be a participant in this dream. I was a member of the DreamTeam, and am still connecting with the team by my mere free will, because my dream is a part of their dream, too. I am willing to support DreamGlass and my friends because they are courageous frontiers to help more people to use new media technology in person and enjoy their everyday life conveniently without any discrimination and constraint. Your support and interest will make this dream happen faster. 

DreamWorld is following up American dream in Silicon Valley, and their dream is to give people more dreamy experience by DreamGlass. It’s not only their dream but also our dream. Detailed specs and info are on www.dreamworldvision.com. I will keep posting and updating my own endeavor with DreamGlass. Lastly, I have to say congratulations to my friends. DreamWorld’s recent two years are valuable to be focused by the world.

--- Originally published article from ARVR Journey Magazine, MEDIUM