AntVR Looks to Crowdfund Their Mix AR Glasses on Kickstarter

Beijing-based AntVR has launched a new crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for their highly anticipated Mix AR headset. The glasses offer the widest FOV available on the commercial market at an incredible 96o and is launching as a bare-bones developer kit with optional add-ons (more on those later). AntVR states the glasses are compatible with SteamVR, which will appeal to both gamers and developers handy with Steam’s SDK.

As far as the headset is concerned, Mix needs to be tethered to a PC to render overlay images onto reality backgrounds; this also means there is no expanded freedom of movement other VR and AR headsets offer, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens or Samsung’s Gear VR. That being said, it does pack some impressive visual hardware in the form of a pair of 1200 X 1200 displays that boast a 90Hz refresh rate.

AntVR calls their new display technology Dual Channel Mixed Optics, which breaks down as a multiple-layered optics that features different polarization within the lenses. What this does is allow environmental light to pass through at nearly any focal length while simultaneously enlarging the display’s brightness. Think of this as being able to see the overlaid images regardless of the ambient light but still being able to look at your surroundings and boosting the FOV.

As stated before, AntVR is offering the Mix headset as a bare-bones development kit, providing only the glasses and one controller. That said, they are also offering paid extras in the form of tracking modules, including a clip on Inside-Out tracking module, which uses a pair of monochrome cameras and an IMU for spatial tracking. They also offer an Outside-In platform that increases user’s DOF by a factor of six using a pair of controllers and optical sensors.

As an added bonus, you can also use third-party add-ons, such as the HTC Vive Tracker (for Steam apps), Optitrak commercial trackers and even the Leap Motion Dev Kit, thereby increasing the number of tracking options available for the Mix.

As mentioned earlier, AntVR is crowdfunding the Mix headset on Kickstarter and have already surpassed their target goal of $50K with 30 days left to go. Those interested can pledge $449 and up, which nets you different trackers at specific price points over the bare-bones kit. Remember though; you will need a PC to run the rig, otherwise, move along, nothing to see here.