The Swiss based company announces a partnership alongside Reality Virtually Hackathon with prizes up to $5,000.
When I think of futuristic HUD (heads up display) technology, the first thought that comes to mind is almost always Tony Stark AKA Iron Man and how Hollywood has imagined AR displays through his advanced helmet.
Switzerland-based company WayRay doesn’t see Tony Starks futuristic AR display as just fantasy, however. That’s because they have already created an AR device called Navion that can deliver real-time information, such as speed and turn-by-turn navigation, all without any type of special glasses or headset.
Of course, it’s delivered to your car’s windshield and not through an awesome tech saturated suit of armor that can fly and shoot missiles – not as exciting, but still, that’s pretty cool.
How the information is delivered directly to your car’s windshield is pretty fascinating. Digital data is projected to your windshield through a holographic optical element using a process called SLAM, simultaneous localization and mapping, that continuously maps the environment while simultaneously keeping track of your car’s location.
The technology is so impressive that Porsche has invested in WayRay to help them build a smarter AR powered racecar.
To help push the possibilities of AR technology, WayRay has announced their sponsorship of the Automotive Prize Category at the Reality Virtually Hackathon which will be held in Cambridge, MA at the MIT Media Lab. The team is encouraging you, whether you are a developer, designer, graphic artist, sound designer, product manager, engineer, or just someone with the imagination to push the limits of AR – to download their True AR SDK beta and apply.
The hackathon, which is considered the largest immersive hackathon that explores how VR and AR technologies can be used for new experiences, runs between January 17-21, 2019 with a rolling admissions schedule. The first application deadline has already passed. However, there are two more rounds of admission dates with the final cut-off date to submit your idea being 12/29/18 – so you still have time!
Downloading WayRay’s True AR SDK, will give you an extensive set of libraries and tools that gives you access to AR objects such as safety alerts, navigation elements, and other informative features that you can build into the world around your car giving you a cool digital display right on your windshield, allowing virtual objects to change, move around, or become permanent elements of the AR interface.
Once you’ve built your AR app, you can test it on your computer or inside a VR headset.
“Broad adoption of autonomous vehicles will spark a massive variety of AR applications to blend the virtual and real-world environment through holographic AR displays,” said Vitaly Ponomarev, Founder and CEO, of WayRay in an official press release. “We aim to create a platform — like an app store with bespoke content for drivers-turned-passengers — that transform the automotive value chain, create new business models, and reshape the whole mobility paradigm.”
WayRay first disclosed their plans for True AR SDK during CES 2018 in Las Vegas back in January. They then followed that up with the announcement of the True AR Challenge which had AR enthusiast from 23 countries submitting ideas that explored a navigation app for firefighters to using AR to assist farmers.
Judges picked their top 30 favorite concepts and gave each winning idea a prize that ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 along with automatic entry into the upcoming Reality Virtually Hackathon.
If you are entering for the first time, the odds are a little tighter since you’ll be competing against previous winners. If you do win, the maximum prize would be $5,000 for each category, which is definitely not chump change.
Though Tony Stark might think so. But then again, he’s also a “Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist” who happens to enjoy starting fights with Captain America.
Image Credit: WayRay