Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1: Qualcomm bets on AR


Qualcomm has announced its first Augmented Reality (AR) reference design, based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform. This design is ready to deliver immersive, high-performance experiences with low power consumption. The reference design provides a smart AR viewer with the versatility to connect to a compatible smartphone, Windows PC or processing unit and has been optimized for devices powered by Snapdragon platforms.

This AR viewer integrates processing into its reference design to help distribute computing workloads between the viewer and the host device, compared to simple AR viewers that do not have in-viewer processing capabilities.


New release

The reference design for the Smart AR Viewer has important performance characteristics and premium use cases, for the enterprise and consumer segments. These are its main characteristics, confirmed by Qualcomm itself:

  • Distributed processing that enables optimizations built into the smart AR viewer to deliver a 30% reduction in overall system consumption 3.
  • The 2D app's framework provides a system-level feature that helps to run smartphone applications on multiple virtual screens, which can be anchored to the user's environment. The framework also provides support for viewing protected content that allows you to play premium movies and streaming services through the viewer.

  • Connected to a PC, the smart viewer combines plane detection and the ability to render multiple virtual screens, allowing virtual PC windows to be docked to real-world flat surfaces.
  • Support provided by the 8MB RGB camera with image stabilization built into the smart AR viewfinder enables hands-free “See what I see” use cases, for example for remote assistants.
  • Dual monochrome cameras in the smart viewfinder allow for six degrees of freedom (6DoF), as well as head and hand tracking with gesture recognition. 

To drive the expansion of the AR ecosystem for smart viewers, Microsoft said: “The smart AR viewer category is an excellent vehicle for delivering immersive experiences as accessories for mobile devices, Windows PCs, and other host computing devices. We look forward to collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies to bring Azure MR services to the expanding ecosystem of mixed reality devices for users based on Snapdragon technology."

Developed in parallel with the smart AR viewer reference design, Lenovo introduced its ThinkReality A3 device in January, which is powered by the Snapdragon XR1 platform. The advanced and versatile ThinkReality A3 smart glasses will hit the market in the middle of this year, as announced by Lenovo itself at CES 2021.

Viewfinder contributor Nreal added, "With the global deployment and success of our Nreal Light device, we are committed to delivering more content and innovative experiences for users in the future," in the words of Chi Xu, Founder and Advisor. Delegate of Nreal. "Distributed processing between glasses and smartphone or host device enables a new kind of immersion, and we look forward to collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies to drive this roadmap forward."

"The Snapdragon XR1 Smart AR Viewer marks a new chapter in our portfolio of reference designs, as well as a major step forward in the evolution of AR viewers," explained Hugo Swart, Vice President and General Manager of XR for Qualcomm Technologies, Inc Simple AR viewers introduced these devices as an accessory for smartphones. Now, smart AR viewers will allow some processing to be moved to the glasses to expand the possibilities of use cases, applications and immersion. This reference design represents the first step on our roadmap towards scaling up the AR sector. ” 

In the reference design, BOE provides a micro-OLED binocular display that achieves up to 90Hz frames per second and the ability to eliminate blur caused by motion, offering a very smooth AR experience. Smart AR viewer hardware, developed by Goertek, enables manufacturers to rapidly develop and scale smart AR devices for commercial use. The Snapdragon XR1 Smart AR Viewer Reference Design is currently available to select partners and will be rolled out generally in the coming months. For more information, visit the Snapdragon XR1 platform product page.

This launch promises to be of enormous importance in this market segment and many brands will be able to benefit from it in the coming months.

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