Augmented reality – looking at the world through an overlay of computer-generated information — was once the stuff of science fiction. But now, with Google's latest project, Google Glass, AR has been thrust into the mainstream.
The company wants its ultra-stylish, high-priced headband to change the way we view the world.
The world, for now, being the U.S., as Google Glass isn't going to be sold in Canada in the near future, no matter how eager some enthusiasts may be.
But that doesn't mean there isn't a Canadian alternative for a wearable computer. Take Epson's Moverio.
Yes, the California company that makes printers and projectors also makes a wearable, transparent display in glasses form, which has been modified into an AR training tool by Edmonton-based Scope Technologies.
The original display "really came out of the R&D side of our projector labs," explains Eric Mizufuka, product manager of Moverio at Epson America in Los Angeles.
"We've been working on projectors for 20-plus years and this particular product has been in existence in our labs for the last four to five."
