By: Nick Gambino
Ready for something awesome? Bose just announced their new Augmented Reality tech at SXSW that focuses on sounds rather than visuals. It’s something you’ll have to hear to believe.
While the tech world has been wrapped up in the awesome potential of visual immersion with VR and AR imagery, Bose was working on something innovative while staying in their lane.
The Bose AR sunglasses are strictly audio. By using motion sensors and GPS by way of Bluetooth from your phone, the sunglasses are able to determine exactly where you are and which way you’re headed.
By picking up on your surroundings, the tech can offer up audio in the way of information, music, sound effects, etc. It all depends on who Bose partners up with. For instance, if they link up with Yelp, you’ll be able to hear information and reviews on a restaurant you come across. Or if they hook up with a train station or an airport, you can receive directions. Really the possibilities are limitless.
But for now, it’s more or less in the prototype stage and needs content before it has any widespread usability. “Bose AR is a platform, which means others can develop both apps – for music, travel, and education, among others – as well as wearables – including headphones, glasses, and helmets,” a BOSE blog post says.
The company has even set up a venture fund of $50 million to invest in startups or others that create content and apps for the platform.
If there is one thing Bose is known for, it’s their quality audio and these seemingly discreet sunglasses are no exception. Even without earbuds, the quality of sound is stellar and contained. You’d expect without something on or in your ear, they’d be using some form of bone conduction. But that’s not the case. It’s a new design that basically shoots audio into your ear. Sounds painful but it’s not. Maybe “projects” would be a better word.
It’ll be a while before we see anything Bose AR-related hit the market. I just hope when it does, I can have someone like Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones narrate my travels like a personal tour guide inside my head.
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