Samsung may not have the exciting, shiny new Galaxy S8 but it will have four innovative Creative Lab (C-Lab) Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) projects exhibited under the name 4 Years From Now (4YFN) at the Mobile World Congress.
C-Labs is an idea incubator established in 2012 to encourage its staff’s creative juices – and it has never ceased to come up with left-field ideas that often make it to production.
This year’s display is particularly relevant as it focuses on AR and VR and includes a smart aid for visually impaired people, monitor-less PC/smartphone viewing glasses, a VR home furnishing solution, and a 360-degree travel experience platform.
Lee Jae Il, Vice President of Samsung Electronics Creativity & Innovation Centre, said, “We continue to support new ideas and creativity, especially when these traits could lead to new experiences for consumers. These latest examples of C-Lab projects are a reminder that we have some talented entrepreneurial people who are unafraid to break new ground. We’re looking forward to further exploring novel applications for VR and 360-degree video because there are endless possibilities in this area.”
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Relúmĭno is a visual aid that works with Gear VR allowing near blind and visually impaired people to read books and watch TV with new levels of clarity. Using a Galaxy S6/S7 and Gear VR headset the app enhances visuals and text, remap blind spots by displacing images, and uses an Amlser grid chart to correct distorted images caused by metamorphopsia. It also enables TV watching without using the expensive visual aids currently available in the market.
Monitorless uses a special pair of AR/VR glasses resembling sunglasses – it is a remote-control VR/AR solution using Wi-Di and Wi-Fi that enables consumers to use devices such as smartphones and PCs without a monitor.
They can view content from smartphones and PCs, play high-capacity PC games on a mobile device, and can be used for both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality functionality
VuildUs is a home interior and furnishing solution enables users to see what a new furniture purchase would look like and whether it would fit in the room before they buy it. It consists of a 360-degree depth camera and a mobile app for VR compatible devices. Users first scan their home using the camera. That is used to build a VR version of the user’s home which the user can then enter when wearing a VR headset. They can view items of furniture in 3D, and buy it on the spot if they like how it looks in the room. The solution removes the need for measuring space before buying furniture because it enables them to see whether it would fit in real time.
traVRer is a 360-degree video platform that enables users to experience realistic virtual travel before and after a real-life trip. Users can visit landmarks and famous places around the world but with the mood, noises and events captured. Users can switch seamlessly between different videos to go in different directions or see the place at a specific time of day – all without the need to navigate menus for alternative video options.
