ASCII.jp "MOVERIO BT -300" --Epson challenges AR / Smart Glass should be

The BT-300, the latest model of Epson's smart glass "MOVERIO", will be released on November 30.The BT-300 is a style close to "glasses", which has achieved a large size and light weight.Why is Epson making smart glass?And what has evolved in the latest products?We spoke to Atsuya Tsuda, the director of the Seiko Epson Visual Products Division HMD Business Promotion Department, and the Moverio business, Masayuki Takagi, and Kazuya Kamakura, the same design.

The latest model "BT-300" of the smart glass "MOVERIO" series F

Seiko Epson Visual Products Division HMD Business Promotion Division Atsuya Tsuda

Seiko Epson Visual Products Division HMD Business Promotion Department Masayuki Takagi

Seiko Epson Visual Products Division HMD Business Promotion Department Kazuya Kamakura

Can you develop products that are not in the world and are surprised by people?

MOVERIO is a smart glass that shows information emerging in front of you when you wear it like glasses.Although it is the same product as "Google Glass made by Google", which became a hot topic for a while, the MOVERIO appeared, and the first BT-100 was launched in 2008 and was released in 2011.Why did Epson start developing smart glass?"The transfer of the LCD display business was triggered," Tsuda said.

Epson had long developed and manufactured liquid crystal displays.It has been decided to transfer the business to another company, and it is no longer possible to develop and manufacture direct -looking displays.Epson itself has organic EL, high -temperature policlicon and semiconductor technology, but large displays cannot be produced.Therefore, he said that he began considering these technologies, "Can you develop a product that is not in the world and will be surprised?" (Mr. Tsuda).

That's why glasses -type smart glasses were selected.When worn, you can see the outside world like glasses, but a display video is displayed on a part of it, and it looks like a video is floating in the air.Speaking of the current words, it is exactly "AR" (extended reality).Unlike VR (virtual reality) goggles, there is no way to see the outside world at all, so the advantage is that you can check the surrounding situation while watching the video.

This smart glass is used on a small display.It is a mechanism that reflects the video and displays it on the glasses, which is close to the prompter.What is needed is a small display, which used Epson's technology here.

"The opposite strategy" developed for consumers and then expanded to corporations

The first "BT-100" is a large body for "glasses type", and when worn it, it looks like a "black eyes".Tsuda laughs, "I couldn't make it into the shape of glasses, so I made it bigger."At the planning stage, it was difficult to understand the situation of "see the outside world with see -through", and it was explained that it was like a "scouter" that appeared in popular manga.

In 2008, when the plan began, the word AR did not penetrate at all (Tsuda).The AR app, which came out at the same time for smartphones, was also a hint.In addition, Tsuda said that it was unusual at the time that it was developed for consumers from the beginning, not for corporations.Mr. Tsuda's awareness was that when he challenged new things, it was the mainstream era to solidify the scaffold for corporations, but it did not work in the end.First of all, we have taken the opposite strategy of developing for consumers and then expanding them to corporations.