Leading tech companies are harnessing augmented reality (AR) applications to fundamentally change the way people live and work. Later this year, American AR pioneer Magic Leap, Inc. will introduce its latest AR device, the Magic Leap 2. Most importantly, the new model will suit enterprise use, particularly industrial and medical applications.

Let alone, Magic Leap 2 will be among the most immersive enterprise AR headsets in the market. With industry-leading optics and powerful computing in an ergonomic design, Magic Leap 2 will enable factory operators to work more efficiently and help companies optimize complex processes. In addition, it will allow staff to seamlessly collaborate.

Infineon Technologies AG and digital imaging supplier pmd technologies ag co-developed the 3D indirect-Time-of-Flight (iToF) depth sensing technology, which is one of the key features of the Magic Leap 2.

Creates Accurate 3D Image

To illustrate, Magic Leap 2 demonstrates the potential of the REAL3 3D Image Sensor. The new and improved IRS2877C Time-of-Flight imager captures the physical environment around the user and helps the device to understand and finally interact with it. As a result, it is possible to detect many different objects in detail, thanks to the 3D imager’s VGA resolution.

The Time-of-Flight technology developed by Infineon and pmd creates an accurate 3D mapping of the environment. In addition, it provides 3D image of faces, hand details, or objects in real-time. This advancement helps to enable accurate environmental interaction with the Magic Leap 2.

Furthermore, the sensor enables enhanced gesture controls on Magic Leap 2. Infineon and pmd optimized the 3D sensor to bring the power consumption down to a minimum, reducing heat and increasing battery life of Magic Leap 2.

Magic Leap CTO Julie Green said sensing the environment precisely and in real-time are very crucial in augmented reality applications. “Magic Leap 2 will provide an even more immersive user experience. These superior functionalities will help to connect the physical and digital world even more seamlessly.”

Expands Applications to Industrial, Medical

Andreas Urschitz, Division President Power & Sensor Systems and designated CMO at Infineon said the 3D imager technology have been introduced already in a professional environment, where precision and reliability are life-saving features. “The latest 3D time-of-flight technology is going to enable new augmented and mixed reality applications for healthcare and industry. It’s about to change the way we live and work fundamentally.”

Particularly, the Infineon-pmd technology helps Magic Leap 2 to detect precisely to the millimeter the location of objects in a physical environment. Here, Bernd Buxbaum, CEO of pmd, said, virtual objects placed in real world can stay in place even when the user walsk around the room and can stay obscured as other real objects appear in front of them.

“It also works reliably in bright sunlight or complete darkness, where other depth-sensing solutions quickly reach their limits.”

More and more AR will be applied in industrial and medical environments that make use of these technological advancements. For example, Brainlab, a Munich-based digital medical technology company, combines their patient-specific, AI-driven anatomical segmentation visualization software with spatial computing from Magic Leap, to provide surgeons an increased understanding of the patient’s anatomy.