Skip to main content

Lenovo and Kopin are working together to accelerate the AR headset market

Modern Polaxis augmented reality comic book
Sutu
Could 2017 be the year of augmented reality? A new partnership between Lenovo and Kopin just may make it so. Earlier this week, Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group (LCIG) and Kopin Corporation announced the formation of a new joint venture titled Lenovo New Vision. It’s the newest subsidiary of LCIG, and will focus on “AR smart headsets for a broad range of enterprise applications.”

“AR/VR is the next generation technology that will change the world after PC Internet and mobile Internet. It is a required technology investment direction for virtually every enterprise,” said LCIG President George He. “We truly value the cooperation with Kopin, and believe that this cooperation can further accelerate the growth of the enterprise AR market by bringing users optimized products and services.”

In the collaboration, Kopin (known best for making display devices), will be bringing its industrial design solutions to leverage “key Kopin components” that will be used in Lenovo New Vision. These components include micro-displays, optics, and software for AR headsets.

“We are very excited to enter into a strategic relationship with Lenovo,” said Dr. John C.C. Fan, Kopin’s President and CEO. “By combining Kopin’s advanced wearable technology and Lenovo’s strength as a global IT and equipment solutions provider, both parties can accelerate the commercialization of AR products and succeed in the fast-growing China and global AR markets.”

Both companies are clearly invested in bringing AR technologies to the forefront, as both are showcasing various AR and VR products at CES in Las Vegas. The hope, of course, is that by working together, the two companies will be able to accelerate the growth of a technology that, as of yet, seems to be largely underutilized. But with the huge success of some mainstream AR applications in 2016 (think Pokémon Go), the time may be right for Lenovo New Vision to create its own vision for the future.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Become an Avenger with Lenovo and Marvel’s Dimension of Heroes AR game
marvel dimension of heroes lenovo mirage ar 1 2

You've probably watched the Avengers saga by now, so why not relive the action by becoming your favorite superhero? Lenovo's latest experience with its Mirage AR headset will place you into the shoes of some of your favorite heroes, using new controllers specifically made for this alternative augmented reality experience that is powered by your smartphone. This comes after the success of its lightsaber-wielding experience with Star Wars: Jedi Challenges released last year. The timing for Lenovo's Marvel Dimension of Heroes couldn't be any more perfect given the huge popularity of several Marvel movies released this year.

Those already familiar with Lenovo's Mirage AR headset will instantly know what to expect with this newest experience. Swapping out lightsabers and the Jedi in favor of Marvel's heroes and the superpowers that come with each character, Dimension of Heroes has gamers wielding not just one controller, but two for some interesting hand movement gestures to cast special powers and attacks. With a controller in each hand, Dimension of Heroes already amps up the action over Jedi Challenges because it's going to be more involved.

Read more
Valve Index VR headset costs $500, but the full bundle will set you back $1,000
Valve Index price release date specs hardware 1000 500 499 999

A lot of the kinks in virtual reality hardware and software have been ironed out, and Valve has decided to jump into the front end of the current generation of immersive experiences with the Index VR head-mounted display. The original reveal of the Valve Index included plans to reveal more in May, but we have a price and official release date a bit sooner. The Valve Index will ship June 28 and the complex VR kit with the headset, controllers, and two base stations will cost $1,000.

Individually, you can get the Valve Index VR HMD for $500. The controllers are $280, and you can get them bundled with the Index for $750 to save a few bucks. The Valve Index Base Station’s price is $150 and is compatible with any headset with support for SteamVR 2.0 like the Index and HTC Vive Pro.
Valve Index VR HMD specs

Read more
The best VR games
how resident evil 7 made itself in the model of modern horror games op ed 0002

Virtual reality is still a relatively new genre, but it has the potential to take your gameplay to a whole new level. Even now, there’s a large variety of different games that have already hit the market. 

We’ve done our best to narrow down all the great choices and make sure you’re only playing the best of the best VR games, whether you’re playing on PlayStation VR or Oculus Rift.
PlayStation VR
Blood & Truth

Read more