REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In "About Meta" section, URL for AVAILABLE VISUALS should be https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7l5ja0o54oe9721/AABXrefxZbicHKJ44bAbsHF_a?dl=0 (instead of https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4hmop0k38hqn34b/AAD-ieuYrEdRsWJRGwLCoivWa?dl=0).
The corrected release reads:
META LAUNCHES META 2, FIRST “NATURAL MACHINE” AUGMENTED REALITY PRODUCT
Previewed at TED 2016, Groundbreaking Meta 2 Now Available for Pre-Orders at Metavision.com
Meta has begun taking pre-orders at www.metavision.com for Meta 2 Development Kit, the first augmented reality (AR) product that delivers a totally immersive experience unlike any other AR product to date. Meta 2 enables hand interaction with digital content, a breakthrough in the field of AR, so people can touch, grab, and move digital objects intuitively, just as they do in the real world.
Meta CEO Meron Gribetz demonstrated the technology at TED 2016, with Meta 2 Development Kit being hailed as one of the most significant technology announcements in recent years. Technology pundit and futurist Robert Scoble called Meta 2 “the most important new product since the original Macintosh.”
In his TED Talk, Gribetz painted his vision for The Neural Path of Least Resistance™, a neuroscience-based interface design approach for zero-learning-curve computing, saying, “We are creating an experience that merges the art of user interface design with the science of the brain, creating ‘natural machines’ that feel like extensions of ourselves rather than the other way around. For example, our natural hand motion doesn’t rely on clicks or buttons, thereby maintaining the flow and connecting people to each other and the moment.”
Meta is working closely with developers to create Meta 2 applications that have the potential to fundamentally change the way people collaborate, communicate and engage with information and each other. Developers are also creating compelling market-specific applications for Meta across a range of industries, including medicine, education, and manufacturing. Meta 2 Development Kit is the company’s second-generation AR technology and was designed with input from nearly 1000 companies that were users of the first-generation Meta 1 product including developers, early adopters, and academics.
Meta 2 offers numerous capabilities only available with the Meta platform, including the widest field of view, the most intuitive access to digital information, and support for direct hand interaction with digital content and holograms. For interested developers, pre-orders are being taken on the Meta website at metavision.com, and include a see-through headset that displays digital content or holograms, along with a software development kit. The Meta 2 Development Kit is priced at $949 for pre-orders at launch and is slated to ship in Q3 2016.
Meta 2 Advantages
Meta 2 Development Kit includes features only available from Meta and was developed to deliver three key advantages:
Widest Field of View
A large FOV liberates users from the confines of screen size, making it easier to work, collaborate, and create or design. Meta 2 has the largest Field of View (FOV) of any product on the market, making it the most immersive AR experience available today.
- Visual field of view of 90 degrees (diagonal)
- High-definition display (2560 x 1440) allowing for high resolution image (20 pixels per degree)
The FOV of most competitive systems is significantly smaller than Meta’s FOV, which hampers the user experience.
Intuitive Access to Digital Information
You are the operating system is a guiding principle of Meta 2, meaning the system has been developed to work in the most intuitive way for the brain. While allowing people to use the traditional means of interacting with technology through keyboards and other devices, Meta 2 enables people to easily access, manipulate, and share digital information in ways that are natural and enhance productivity and collaboration. Examples of AR applications built on interfaces designed to work like the human brain include:
- 3D modeling: Create, interact with and share true 3D models, providing significant advantages over 3D on a screen.
- Web browsing: With simple markup, add holograms to any existing webpage, which would allow such scenarios as allowing consumers to “grab” products from a web page and interact with them.
- Remote collaboration: Colleagues can view and manipulate holograms together with their hands.
Direct Hand Interaction
From infancy, hands are the tools people use to engage with their environments. Meta 2 is hand-controlled because there is no more natural way for someone to work or engage with others. No input device is required. On-board cameras for hand interactions and positional tracking make it possible to see digital content, grab it, and move it by hand just as you would with any physical object. You can also track objects, such as a pen or paint brush. By using natural hand interaction, Meta overcomes the limits of many other AR products, which require specific gestures that mimic those used with input devices, like the mouse, or lack hand control entirely.
Product Details
Meta 2 Development Kit includes all of the following:
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Augmented reality headset
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See-through headset that displays holograms and digital content,
along with a software development kit built on top of the most
popular 3D engine in the world: Unity.
- Create holographic apps quickly and easily with Unity and C#.
- 90-degree field of view
- 2560 x 1440 display resolution
- Designed for comfort with everything below the eyebrows completely transparent and unobstructed so you can easily make eye contact with other people. Meta 2 works while wearing eyeglasses and can be comfortably worn for hours under most circumstances.
-
See-through headset that displays holograms and digital content,
along with a software development kit built on top of the most
popular 3D engine in the world: Unity.
- 720p front-facing camera
- Sensor array for hand interactions and positional tracking
- Four speaker near-ear audio
- Brightness and volume control
- 9-foot cable for video (HDMI 1.4b), data, and power
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Support for Windows-based applications (Mac support planned for this
year), including:
- Microsoft® Office
- Adobe® Creative Suite®
- Spotify™
Meta 2 is a tethered device that requires a modern computer running Windows 8 or 10.
About Meta
Born in NYC and raised in Silicon Valley, Meta has been defining the field of Augmented Reality (AR) since the company’s inception in 2012. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Meta was selected by Y Combinator (YC12) for seed funding. Meta entered the marketplace with the first see-through glasses that allowed wearers to move and manipulate 3D content intuitively, using natural hand interactions. With the introduction of the groundbreaking Meta 2 product at TED 2016, Meta is once again redefining the market and delivering a new generation of natural machines that will become a healthy, vital extension of who we are.
AVAILABLE VISUALS AT https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7l5ja0o54oe9721/AABXrefxZbicHKJ44bAbsHF_a?dl=0
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Video Clips
- Virtual Workspace 1 / Car Design
- Collaborative Design / Design and Architecture Review Using Meta 2
- Education / Exploring the Human Brain Using Meta 2
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Graphics / Images
- Graphic: Meta logo (3 images)
- Graphic: Meta 2 Headset (7 images; regular and hi-res)
- Images: Meta 2 Headset Being Worn (2 images)
- Images: Virtual Workspace 1 / Car Design (2 images)
- Images: Virtual Workspace 2 / Notes (2 images)
- Images: Education / Exploring the Human Brain Using Meta 2 (3 images)
- Images: Collaborative Design / Design and Architecture Review Using Meta 2 (3 images)
- Images: Meron Gribetz, Meta Founder and CEO (4 images)
TESTIMONIALS
Christian Jacob is a professor at the University of Calgary in both the Computer Science and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology departments, as well as director of the LINDSAY Virtual Human Project. As Meta Pioneers, Dr. Jacob and his team are creating apps that provide new ways to view human systems and physiology.
“The potential for Augmented Reality to enhance teaching and learning in healthcare and medicine is incredibly exciting. Not only is AR technology revolutionizing how we perceive anatomy as a subject and field, it’s changing how we relate to our own bodies as we discover new ways of looking at what’s inside of us. Just imagine using 3D models that are augmented and personalized with data that comes from our own health records. Meta 2 gets us even closer to the vision we’ve all shared. It’s totally exciting to watch and even more exciting to be a part of making it happen as a Meta developer.”
Neil Evans is the founder of e3DI, a visualization company, and is the Meta Pioneer developer of ARtualise, an app for visualizing designs in an interactive and collaborative environment.
"When I first saw Meta 1, I thought, “Wow, I want one!” We had an amazing development experience with the product, resulting in a forward-thinking app for the design world, ARtualise. Now that I’ve heard about Meta 2 with the new capabilities, I want one of those too! For developers thinking about jumping in, don’t hesitate – just do it. The Meta team truly guides you through the first steps to building your apps. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be on board with this incredible product and have the opportunity to shake up our industry with new and groundbreaking apps based on the Meta technology.”
Robin Kollau is a Senior Developer with TWNKLS, a Netherlands-based augmented reality agency that develops high-end enterprise solutions for clients. As Meta Pioneers, TWNKLS developed Clay, a fun app for 3D doodling and sculpting. TWNKLS continues working with the Meta technology to develop enterprise solutions that take advantage of the true power of AR.
"It’s been so exciting to see the progress in the AR field toward enterprise solutions that deliver information in an insightful and clear way. We love working with Meta, the pioneer in this growing field. Meta 2 is the first of the next wave of wearables and delivers capabilities that competing products have yet to offer. Meta gives us an edge by letting us build valuable experience that we bring to our client engagements. Whether it’s training people how to assemble a jet engine faultlessly or showing where a fracture lies directly over a broken leg, the possibilities are endless."
Emiliano Gusmini is the owner of MAGNETICA, a media agency and web development firm located in Italy. Recognizing the power of AR to transform their business, Emiliano and his team became Meta Pioneers and developed the ARkitek app for visualizing architectural projects in 3D.
"The potential inside this ever-changing technology is remarkable for the entertainment industry as well as countless other sectors. We are proud to pioneer the future, together with Meta, and were thrilled when the Meta Pioneer Workshop helped us turn our idea into reality in just a few days’ time. It’s only going to get better with Meta 2 and the new features the company is delivering. We can’t wait to get our hands on the next generation technology!"
