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ZDNET Highlights
- Magic Leap extends its partnership with Google.
- Companies showed prototypes of AR/AI smart glasses.
- The collaboration merges the strong characteristics of each company.
Magic Leap plans to bring its more than 15 years of experience in the AR field to the rapidly growing AI smart glasses market through its continued partnership with Google XR.
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On Wednesday, Magic Leap published a blog post detailing its plans for the next generation of AR glasses. In its collaboration with Google, the company said it is focused on developing AR glasses prototypes that “balance visual quality, comfort, and manufacturability.”
A prototype showcasing the progress made by both companies in developing AR glasses was displayed at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) stage. The glasses maintained the standard look of black-rimmed glasses, similar to the Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers or the prototype of the Android XR glasses shown at Google I/O.
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“What makes this prototype stand out is how natural it looks,” said Shahram Izadi, VP/GM of Google XR. “Magic Leap’s precision in optics and waveguide design gives displays a level of clarity and consistency that is rare in AR today.”
Specifically, the company plans to combine Magic Leap’s waveguides — the company’s technology that allows for realistic and precise overlays of digital content on the physical world around you — with Google’s Ruxium MicroLED Light Engine, which refers to display technology that is smaller, brighter and lower-powered, and ideal for in-lens smartglass displays.
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The companies first announced a multi-faceted, strategic technology partnership in May 2024, although their relationship dates back to before that. A key part of today’s announcement was the extension of their cooperation through a three-year agreement. No additional information was shared regarding the roadmap or possible release date.
