Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Rory Greener.
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On Friday, Nathan Pettyjohn, CEO of the Immerse Growth Network and the (Virtual and Augmented Reality Association (VRARA), hosted a panel on the potential benefits of using AR smart contact lenses during sports as well as emerging safety concerns.
Eric Johnsen, VP of Business Development at Mojo Vision, a company developing smart AR contact lenses and Robert Hellwagner, Director of Product Innovation Adidas Runtastic, joined the panel to provide expert insights.
Speakers discussed use cases for Mojo Vision’s unique immersive wearable, focusing on immersive navigation for outdoor sports. The firm partnered with Adidas to discover the best opportunities for professional athletes and consumers.
Johnson explained that Mojo Vision wants to present information to a wearer during an activity. He noted how people already use smartphones to access information about their chosen sport, like looking at a digital map or tracking calories burned after a workout. Mojo Vision is filling in the gap.
He added,
“It’s that during moment. It’s that during an activity, when you’re actually engaged in the sport, that’s where we’re missing the information we need and that’s the problem. That’s the part we want to solve is during moment”
Understanding User Saftey
The group immediately expressed the importance of the wearer’s safety when discussing real-world use cases. As Mojo Vision develops its AR contact lenses, the firm is working with Adidas to understand and solve potential risks.
Johnsen added,
“We’re the experts in the hardware. And Robert’s team are the experts in what users really want to do and what the use cases are”
Hellwagner stated safety was a big concern when creating AR navigational systems for outdoor use such as cycling, hiking, or running. He added that developers must consider the context around a user, including people and objects.
The Adidas executive continued, explaining that occlusion, the process of obstructing virtual assets behind real-world objects like street lights, was essential to AR application development and to keep people safe.
Johnson also said how his team developed an API and SDK containing primary user safety and privacy considerations. Mojo Vision ensures its lens is safe to wear by working closely with the US FDA regarding the regulatory process of producing contact lenses.
“It’s got batteries in it. It’s got a radio in it. It’s got a display that lights up and we’re working very, very hard to to ensure that that the lens is completely safe to wear and the FDA will hold us accountable to that”
The session took place at The VRARA’s Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 Europe event, which took place from September 28 to 30 in Savoy Palace At Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal.
