▲ Nreal Light, AR glasses exclusively supplied in Korea by LG Uplus and Nreal <Photo=LG U+>

On November 21, LG Uplus held a demonstration event at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul to exclusively unveil the AR glasses 'Nreal Light' in Korea through a strategic collaboration with Nreal, a manufacturer specializing in AR glasses.

AR glasses address the aesthetic factors and safety issues of existing productsThe wearable device was completed by improving the discomfort of wearing glasses, featuring a lightweight design of only 88g, a foldable design identical to regular glasses, and an ergonomic design that takes into account face size.

Users can wear the device comfortably like glasses and connect it to a smartphone to enjoy mobile TV, AR content, and more in 360 degrees. You can bring your favorite idol stars, rare animals, dramas, and movies into reality right before your eyes, and watch sports broadcasts such as professional baseball and golf through screen mirroring, zooming in and out of the playback screen (up to 100 inches) or moving to your desired position.

The main features of the AR glasses introduced this time include planar recognition, image recognition, 6DoF tracking, real-time position recognition, three-dimensional sound heard through speakers, and voice recognition through a microphone.

The Nrealite, featuring a plug-and-play design, is designed with foldable temples identical to those of regular glasses.

In particular, this product has been released exclusively for 5G, reflecting the characteristics of AR content that consumes a lot of traffic, and has improved upon the limitations of real-world immersion in existing AR services, the heavy wearing sensation of VR HMDs, and the inability to see the surroundings.

LG Uplus plans to conduct a pilot service for Nreal Light with Nreal until the first quarter of 2020, and at the same time, build an AR glasses platform reflecting customer needs, and commercialize the product in the first half of 2020.

To this end, a pilot service experience will be conducted at the Yongsan pop-up store starting on the 21st, and from the coming 18th, it will be available at 35 U+ stores, movie theaters, subways, etc. The experience zone will be expanded to five pop-up stores.

The pilot service is conducted in a plug-and-play manner by linking AR glasses with LG Electronics' 5G smartphone V50S ThinQ, and provides AR content on a large screen of up to 100 inches through the AR glasses' high-definition Micro OLED screen.

Starting with this pilot service, LG Uplus plans to introduce telepresence, 3D content viewing, showroom, immersive education, kids' content, and more. By connecting a 5G smartphone and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a cloud PC service is provided that enables PC work on a large screen of over 100 inches through AR glasses.

In addition, in the first quarter of 2020, we plan to contribute to the activation of AR glasses in Korea by hosting 'Nreal Tech Day' for domestic developers interested in AR glasses, explaining the SDK (Software Development Kit) that enables the development of AR glasses-related apps, and providing developer support programs.

▲ Song Dae-heon, Senior Vice President in charge of Future Devices at LG Uplus

Song Dae-heon, Senior Vice President of Future Devices at LG Uplus, said, “AR glasses are a media device for Generation Z in the 5G communication era,” adding, “The key to the commercialization of AR glasses is software technology such as optical modes and spatial awareness technology, and we will continue to improve the technical aspects while considering user convenience.”

"We are currently reviewing wireless support technology that allows for cable-free use and plan to commercialize it in 2021," they added. "When the product is commercialized, we plan to release it to be compatible with all domestic smartphone manufacturers, not just LG Electronics."
The Nreal Light, unveiled this time, received evaluations from global mobile carriers and manufacturers at the world's largest AR expo, 'AWE (Augmented World Expo) 2019,' held in the U.S. last May, that it has the highest potential for commercialization among existing AR glasses.

▲ Enreal Vice President Yeo Jeong-min

Nreal Vice President Yeo Jeong-min said, “The Nreal Light attracted attention as a cost-effective product with its ultra-light weight of just 88g and a price range of around $499,” adding, “This was possible because it uses a tethering method with mobile phones.”

Meanwhile, Nreal is a company recognized for its technological prowess, having been selected as a Best Startup at the world's largest consumer electronics show, 'CES 2019', and is collaborating with major telecommunications companies around the world, including China Unicom and KDDI.