Like a wide number of technology companies out there, Samsung also seems to be exploring the possibility of developing augmented reality glasses, based on one of its latest patent applications first spotted by Patently Apple. The documentation that Samsung submitted to the US Patent & Trademark Office shows foldable device that looks more like a typical pair of glasses — with much thicker frames to accommodate its electronic components — than the Samsung Gear VR. While the final product could end up being vastly different, the current design is an eyepiece that automatically switches on whenever it’s unfolded.
As per a report by VentureBeat, “Given the normal movements of a wearer’s head, keeping the projector from jittering on and off during frame jostles would be important. To that end, Samsung suggests that magnets near the hinges would be used to maintain the “open” temple position, as well as to complete a flexible electrical circuit running from one temple’s battery through the frames to the other temple’s projector.”
Samsung examines the innovation inside out and Samsung is not constraining themselves to the specific frame shape shown in its filing or a way that the AR glasses might operate. The report states, “It presents the possibility that the frames might contain all sorts of different processors — standalone ARM chips and/or more dependent processors — with anything from short-range (Bluetooth) to long-range (cellular) wireless technology. That sort of flexibility is fairly standard in patent applications, leaving the door open as wide as possible to prevent others from using the same idea in a similar but not precisely identical device.”
While Samsung has recorded a patent for its AR glasses this doesn’t really imply that the organization will launch it.