Vuzix
Encyclopedia
Vuzix is a United States
multinational technology
firm headquartered in Rochester, New York
. Founded in 1997, Vuzix manufactures and sells computer display device
s and software
. Vuzix personal display devices
are used for mobile and immersive Augmented Reality
applications, such as 3D Gaming
, Manufacturing
training, and Military tactical equipment.
company Forte Technologies. The Company has over 50 employees and offices in New York, Japan, and the UK and is the current market leader for video eyewear. Forte was a pioneer during the mid 1990’s developing immersive head mounted displays for Virtual Reality and video gaming applications.
In 1997 the Company was hired as a subcontractor to Raytheon
, designing display electronics for a digital night vision weapon sight
. The development done on this project led to a very small, low power set of display drive electronics that the Company would later build into other products.
In 2000 the VFX1 was featured in a commemorative US Postal Service stamp collection celebrating the 1990s. The VFX1 was replaced by a higher resolution system dubbed the VFX3D in mid 2000.
In 2001 Vuzix launched its first consumer electronics product, the iCOM personal internet browser. The device was a small handheld PDA with an integrated high resolution microdisplay with internet access. At the time the vast majority of internet capable devices had small text only screens, the iCOM allowed for full resolution access to the web just as you would see it on your laptop.
For the next few years the Company focused its efforts on next generation technologies and building custom display solutions for a variety of customers around the world. In 2005 Vuzix provided a custom high resolution handheld display system that created the 3D imagery for Hitachi's pavilion at the 2005 World’s Fair in Aichi, Japan. The Hitachi Pavilion allowed users to interact with computer generated models and dioramas of endangered species in a "First-of-its-kind" Mixed Reality ride.
In 2005 the company changed its name to Icuiti, in an effort to reflect its new focus on consumer electronics devices. Later that year Icuiti launched its first product designed specifically for consumers, the V920 Video Eyewear. Designed to plug into portable video devices (DVD players and Archos media player) the V920 was the lightest and smallest wearable display system ever built at the time. The V920 would lead to a line of Video Eyewear products that continue today.
Also in 2005 Icuiti was awarded its first military R&D contract to develop a high resolution monocular display device for viewing tactical maps and video. This development would lead to the Tac-Eye product line, which began rate production in 2009 and is currently used in many major military programs including the Battlefield Air Operations kit.
A re-branding in 2007 changed the Company’s name from Icuiti to Vuzix.
In 2010 Vuzix introduced the first production model see-through augmented reality
glasses the STAR 1200.
Vuzix is currently under contract with DARPA to design and build a next generation heads up display for military ground personnel. The DARPA PCAS program is large R&D program with the goal of allowing the joint tactical air controller the ability to rapidly engage multiple, moving and simultaneous targets within his area of responsibility.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
multinational technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
firm headquartered in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. Founded in 1997, Vuzix manufactures and sells computer display device
Display device
A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form...
s and software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
. Vuzix personal display devices
Head-mounted display
A head-mounted display or helmet mounted display, both abbreviated HMD, is a display device, worn on the head or as part of a helmet, that has a small display optic in front of one or each eye .- Overview :...
are used for mobile and immersive Augmented Reality
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is...
applications, such as 3D Gaming
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
training, and Military tactical equipment.
History
Vuzix formed in 1997 in Rochester, NY, under the name Interactive Imaging Systems, purchasing the assets of the Virtual RealityVirtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
company Forte Technologies. The Company has over 50 employees and offices in New York, Japan, and the UK and is the current market leader for video eyewear. Forte was a pioneer during the mid 1990’s developing immersive head mounted displays for Virtual Reality and video gaming applications.
In 1997 the Company was hired as a subcontractor to Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
, designing display electronics for a digital night vision weapon sight
AN/PAS-13
The AN/PAS-13B Thermal Weapon Sight is an infrared sight developed for the United States military by Raytheon. The sight is designed for use on small arms in the U.S. military's inventory, but it can also be used as a standalone observation device. The AN/PAS-13B uses thermal imaging so that it...
. The development done on this project led to a very small, low power set of display drive electronics that the Company would later build into other products.
In 2000 the VFX1 was featured in a commemorative US Postal Service stamp collection celebrating the 1990s. The VFX1 was replaced by a higher resolution system dubbed the VFX3D in mid 2000.
In 2001 Vuzix launched its first consumer electronics product, the iCOM personal internet browser. The device was a small handheld PDA with an integrated high resolution microdisplay with internet access. At the time the vast majority of internet capable devices had small text only screens, the iCOM allowed for full resolution access to the web just as you would see it on your laptop.
For the next few years the Company focused its efforts on next generation technologies and building custom display solutions for a variety of customers around the world. In 2005 Vuzix provided a custom high resolution handheld display system that created the 3D imagery for Hitachi's pavilion at the 2005 World’s Fair in Aichi, Japan. The Hitachi Pavilion allowed users to interact with computer generated models and dioramas of endangered species in a "First-of-its-kind" Mixed Reality ride.
In 2005 the company changed its name to Icuiti, in an effort to reflect its new focus on consumer electronics devices. Later that year Icuiti launched its first product designed specifically for consumers, the V920 Video Eyewear. Designed to plug into portable video devices (DVD players and Archos media player) the V920 was the lightest and smallest wearable display system ever built at the time. The V920 would lead to a line of Video Eyewear products that continue today.
Also in 2005 Icuiti was awarded its first military R&D contract to develop a high resolution monocular display device for viewing tactical maps and video. This development would lead to the Tac-Eye product line, which began rate production in 2009 and is currently used in many major military programs including the Battlefield Air Operations kit.
A re-branding in 2007 changed the Company’s name from Icuiti to Vuzix.
In 2010 Vuzix introduced the first production model see-through augmented reality
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is...
glasses the STAR 1200.
Vuzix is currently under contract with DARPA to design and build a next generation heads up display for military ground personnel. The DARPA PCAS program is large R&D program with the goal of allowing the joint tactical air controller the ability to rapidly engage multiple, moving and simultaneous targets within his area of responsibility.
Video Eyeware
- Vuzix created the first video eyewear to support stereoscopic 3D for the Playstation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Augmented Reality Eyeware
- Vuzix created the first commercially produced pass-through augmented reality headset, the Wrap 920AR. The Wrap 920AR has two VGA video displays and two cameras that work together to provide the user a view of the world which blends real world inputs and computer generated data.
- During the Consumer Electronic Show in 2011, Vuzix announced the Raptyr. The Raptyr is a see-through augmented reality display prototype that will be the first consumer product of its kind when it reaches the market in 2011.
- The STAR 1200 is the first See-Through Augmented Reality display to be mass produced and is scheduled to be released in August 2011.