Foxconn coming to America

Foxconn, through Sharp, has a known tie to Microvision. (Foxconn did highlight the RoBoHon) It is the largest contract electronic manufacturing companies in the world, assembles the iPhone, and is set to produce its own cellphones. 

Interesting developments here, and given the relationships this company has this deserves to be watched closely.

Times of Oman

"We are planning a number of investments in America,” Gou said. "This project will include both capital-intensive and skilled labor-intensive and high-tech investment."

Gou said in January that Foxconn was mulling setting up a display-making plant in the United States with an investment that would exceed $7 billion.



Focus Taiwan

Taipei, April 29 (CNA) Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (鴻海, better known as Foxconn outside Taiwan ), the world's largest contract electronics maker, said Saturday that it was in talks with the U.S. government for possible investments in the United States.

In a statement, Hon Hai, an assembler of iPhones and iPads for Apple Inc., said that the company is earnestly seeking investment opportunities in the U.S. market and is evaluating the possibility of pouring capital there for expansion.

Hon Hai, which has built a broad production site in China with a workforce of about 1 million, expressed gratitude to the White House Office of American Innovation for its efforts to pave the path for the Taiwanese firm's negotiations with the U.S. government for possible investments.

The White House Office of American Innovation, created by President Donald Trump and led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, aims to reform the federal government through private-sector solutions.

ppp focus

But with Trump’s persistent pledge to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, and Gou’s dogged determination to acquire the memory chip business of embattled Japanese conglomerate Toshiba, the two will likely exchange their views on related issues.

“We are made in America”, Gou said in response to the Post reporter’s question about what he discussed at the White House.

TechRadar Apple AR Summary

I have no idea if Apple is doing this or not (neither do they, although Apple talks about it a bit.) The "possible" timeline -- I think not, unless it's through the screen of the phone.

It's an interesting summary.

Tech Radar

What is it? A new Apple wearable, a pair of glasses making use of augmented reality tech.

When is it out? No fixed date, but a reveal as early as summer 2017 is possible.

What will it cost? Based on Snap Spectacles pricing, anything from $130/ £105/ AU$170 and upwards - but anything ten times as costly could be possible depending on Apple’s final configuration.

Why would Apple make AR glasses?

CAPITALISM. Those shareholders’ appetites for mansions and swimming pools won’t be sated!

But on a serious note, Apple’s in need of a new product category. The last time Apple launched an inarguably successful new product line was the iPad – and even that has proved difficult to maintain momentum in. AR is an exciting new area, and one in which Apple (at least in hardware terms) wouldn’t have huge competition in, at least in the present.

If Iovine has his way, Apple’s foray into video programming will be the start of another episode of world domination.

Mobile Video is coming.... everyone wants in on it. Wonder what they know.


I recommend the entire article at BusinessWeek

Like many tech companies, Apple long resisted getting into the content game, opting instead to sell other people’s music, TV shows, and movies and making money flogging hardware. Then Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. started producing award-winning television, and Silicon Valley smelled opportunity. Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube is funding dozens of TV shows for a subscription service and has built production facilities around the world. Facebook Inc. is starting to fund original video series. Even Twitter Inc. is buying the rights to sporting events. The tech companies mostly see entertainment as a good way to sell other products, whether toilet paper on Amazon or ads on Google.
Apple was among the first to use content to sell hardware. Steve Jobs, a passionate music fan, sold 99¢ songs to popularize first the iPod, then the iPhone. Yet his initial bet that consumers wanted to own the music and video they paid for was wrong; turns out people are fine just streaming it. So in 2014, Apple paid $3 billion for Beats Electronics, the headphones-and-streaming service company co-founded by Iovine and Dr. Dre. The goal wasn’t just to become less reliant on the iPhone, which generates almost $2 of every $3 of the company’s profits, but to make customers even more dependent on Apple gadgetry. The combination of iTunes, Apple Music, and a new TV app makes it harder for people to trade an iPhone for a Google Pixel or an Apple TV for Amazon’s Fire TV.

Is there a problem with opportunities?

MicroVision represents a huge opportunity. They have exceptional technology that is applicable in multiple areas that have very significantly rising interest. 

Bigger screens:
Mobile computing has become increasingly powerful lately, reaching a saturation point with humanity, with little recent noteworthy innovation -- but the demand is always there for a larger screen size. MicroVision answers that.

Touch interactive Bigger screens. (need we really say more?)

Near Eye Displays:
Near-eye displays are up and coming as various companies are working on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality devices. (Microsoft with Hololens, Google with Google Glass, Facebook with Oculus Rift [ Valued by Facebook at purchase for $2 Billion ], Samsung with their Virtual Reality, Sony with VR for Playstation, Apple with their purchase of Metaio,  Meta, Vuzix, Osterhaut, etc.

Given how good the antique MicroVision Nomad looked next to some of these rivals, MicroVision will be well positioned here as well.

3D Scanning:

Self-driving cars, 3D printing, Maneuvering Robots, etc. There's a lot of buzz about this.

• MicroVision recently started partnering with the world's leading maker of little electronic things - ST Microelectronics
• They recently highlighted cooperation with Intel in making products
• They have an order for an engine from a Chinese smartphone company. 
• They have recent hires who are noteworthy people from the industry.
• People rave about products with PicoP inside.

The big problem with big opportunities is impatience and hype. 

This is an opportunity in process... Microvision's technology answers a lot of current market demands.

I have never been more confident about where the company is and where its going.

Hololens passes impact tests

Still processing the CC --- in the mean time... 

Hololense is apparently okay as safety glasses...  Hugely important consideration for something that will have industrial uses.


Windows Blog / Microsoft

Microsoft HoloLens passes basic impact tests for protective eyewear standards in North America and Europe

Additionally, to the benefit of our manufacturing customers, we are thrilled to share that Microsoft HoloLens has passed the basic impact tests from a number of protective eyewear standards used in North America and Europe. It has been tested and found to conform to the basic impact protection requirements of ANSI Z87.1, CSA Z94.3 and EN 166, the most common protective glass certification standards. This opens the door for more companies to use HoloLens in innovative ways as part of their manufacturing process and for employees to unlock new personal potential, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve in the future! Find out more about HoloLens in manufacturing here.

Press Release - Quarterly Report

MicroVision Announces First Quarter 2017 Results; In March 2017 Company Received a $6.7 Million Order for Its Small Form Factor Display Engine for a Smartphone Manufacturer

In April 2017 the company also signed a $24 million contract with a leading technology company

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 27, 2017-- MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and sensing technology, today announced its financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2017.

MicroVision received a $6.7 million order in March 2017 for its small form factor display engine for a customer in Asia that plans to embed these engines in a smartphone. The company expects to begin shipping engines to this customer early in the third quarter of this year. This display engine is part of MicroVision’s engine line of business, which includes two additional scanning engines for interactivity and 3D LiDAR sensing that are scheduled for commercial availability later in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

MicroVision also announced in April 2017 that it has been awarded a development and supply contract for a laser beam scanning (LBS) system by a leading technology company. Under this agreement, MicroVision would develop a new generation of MEMS¹, ASICs² and related firmware for a high resolution, LBS-based product the technology company is planning to produce. MicroVision would receive up to $24 million including $14 million in fees for development work that is expected to span 21 months and an upfront payment for other items. The development fees would be paid contingent on completion of milestones in 2017 and 2018. This contract was awarded in the second quarter and is not reflected at all in the first quarter financial results.

The following financial results are for the three months ended March 31, 2017, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016. 

• Revenue was $792,000 compared to $3.7 million one year ago. 
• Operating loss was $5.6 million, compared to a loss of $3.6 million for the same quarter one year ago. 
• Net loss was $5.6 million, or $0.08 per share, compared to a loss of $3.6 million, or $0.07 per share for the same quarter one year ago. 
• In the first quarter 2017 cash used in operations was $6.7 million compared to $3.0 million for the same period in 2016. 

As of March 31, 2017 backlog was $8.5 million and cash and cash equivalents were $7.7 million.

If you licensed electronic products.....

If you could choose a single company, who would you want to license them to?

Many would say "Apple" because it's a premium brand for mobile devices.

I would say "Intel." 

Intel is everywhere.

The Intel Joule Compute Module is helping bring MicroVision’s new short throw interactive display engine to life. As a complementary solution to MicroVision’s PicoP® scanning engine, the Intel Joule module generates the processing power needed to run interactivity algorithms for next-generation, “beyond the screen” devices.


Modems, Memory, Processors, Servers, PC's, Boards, Processors, Miniature systems, etc.

As the internet of things gets started, small displays are going with the processors and connected devices that are going to be everywhere.

No better place to be.


Everywhere means EVERYWHERE.

They're in SHOES from Xiaomi
Intel Home Page (check the "products" heading on the top left and browse.)

So, when Microvision writes something up and highlights how Intel and Microvision products are working together... pay very close attention.

Microvision and Intel

Intel and Microvision

Well, this takes a lot off the threat board. (If you thought Intel was a threat to Microvision.)

And this puts a lot of fuel in the rocket!

Microvision is in the right place, at the right time, with the right technology working with the right partners.

eeCatalog -- More at the source

April 21st, 2017

By Mike Naldrett, MicroVision, Inc.

The Intel® Joule™ System on Module has features honed for the small form factor market that lend size, weight and power consumption benefits to projected display, interactivity with projected images, and 3D sensing.

Today’s musts for personal electronics pack a great deal of punch into otherwise small packages. Among these necessities is the desire for mobility and the availability of devices that are not only smart and sleek, but portable. On-the-go lifestyles are requiring technology component manufacturers to focus more and more on small form factor product design.

*****

Enabling Innovation

In the development of the PSE-0403 small form factor display engine and PSE-0403sti short throw interactive display engine, MicroVision recognized that combining these engines with other specialized small form factor solutions, such as the Intel™ Joule™ compute module, can enable new, compelling products that can be rapidly brought to market.

The Intel Joule Compute Module is helping bring MicroVision’s new short throw interactive display engine to life. As a complementary solution to MicroVision’s PicoP® scanning engine, the Intel Joule module generates the processing power needed to run interactivity algorithms for next-generation, “beyond the screen” devices.

In going beyond the screen, developers can implement touchless gesture capabilities in consumer-facing applications like speakers, light fixtures, security alarms, or even robot assistants and other artificial intelligence devices. These combined gesture recognition and projected display technologies enable products that boast a natural user interface—eliminating the need for an LCD screen while offering extreme portability.

*****

The same types of features can also be deployed in commercial settings. Virtual touchscreens in restaurants (Figure 3) could streamline the dining process and add entertainment value to the dining out experience, ranging from on-table menu selection and bill pay to on-demand games and other activities.

The same processing power that the Intel Joule Compute Module can provide for interactivity algorithms could also be used to enable other features, such as voice recognition and artificial intelligence. With the ability to introduce other sensor data as well, the platform opens up a wide variety of potential applications. Smart thermostats, home automation, and security centers are just a few among many possibilities. As these features are critical in the development of smart home solutions and accessories, it’s easy to see how the combination of this powerful system on module from Intel and MicroVision’s compact projection display modules can enable new and exciting applications across the growing smart home market, which is expected to reach more than $30 billion and a household penetration rate of over 60 percent by 2021.

With programs like its Developers Zone and tools like the Joule module, Intel is successfully linking inventors with suppliers of key-enabling technologies that foster new, forward-looking innovations. MicroVision is excited to be part of an ecosystem of new technologies for future-ready products in the world of mobility and IoT.

Intel Joule Compute Module

Thanks Kevin Watson

This was posted a long time ago, it is still awesome.

Enjoy it again!

Thysenkrup -- timelines

After a burst of interesting stuff in the last couple of weeks. I haven't been seeing a lot of stuff I can share.... The department of dot-connecting is working on some amazing things however.

The utility of devices produced by Microvision's target markets is always something to pay attention to. Reports from Thyssenkrupp continue.

Last week one of the representatives of STM I spoke to told me in some detail how the transition from prototype to mass production is accelerating very rapidly. When it used to be 18-24 months to get a product from prototype to mass production they are now able to pull that off in six months. (He did tell me though that to make a single batch of some MEMS that the fastest they can be produced is 60-120 days -- simply because of the chemical processes involved that can not be rushed. -- I take that to mean that it happens at the speed of chemistry, not at the speed of human will, and that new technology can't really rush it.)

When industry is pulling on certain technologies and they're eager to purchase it and apply it -- the timelines can be moved forward to an as fast as possible timeline. 

(...and we all know that computer companies are willing to produce and sell things that will be obsolete in a few months because better technology follows it. They made ridiculous money doing that in the 1980's and 1990's and it would be kind of fun to be riding that kind of wave again.)


Thyssenkrupp

Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator, commented: “New realities demand new solutions and thyssenkrupp sees HoloLens as an enabler in transforming the customer experience for home solutions and helping to ensure a continued quality of life for ageing populations, regardless of their mobility restrictions.”

thyssenkrupp has already applied this new process in over 100 customer homes in Holland, Spain, and Germany with very positive results and client feedback, and will soon roll out the use of HoloLens in its home solutions throughout Germany.

“IoT and mixed reality technologies are critical success factors for companies that aim to digitally transform their businesses. With the integration of Microsoft HoloLens and home mobility solutions thyssenkrupp is the frontrunner in the industry and shows how to address the challenges of an aging society by using intelligent technologies,” says Sabine Bendiek, Area Vice President Microsoft Germany.

Why has Foxconn been pushing Sharp?

This is a great summary of questions.

It does make me wonder if Foxconn is going to do to Apple what Apple has done to some of its suppliers. If that's the case, the next iPhone could experience a very significant delay.

+ Softbank + Toshiba. (Was the effort to buy Toshiba an effort not so much to gain something for themselves, but to deny Apple?)

I highly recommend reading and re-reading this particular article. 

Patently Apple

Like a good tension-filled TV series like 24, the story is one of the most fascinating in the tech sector to date with each episode building towards an end that we yet don't understand. The pieces of the story are purposely scrambled to keep us guessing.

Yet the one nagging question that keeps popping up is why has Foxconn pushing Sharp back into the smartphone business so aggressively?

Injuries at Apple pointing to AR testing?

Another source of potential leaks Apple needs to seal...

I've seen these reports for what seems like a few days now. (Been a busy week) This one is the most detailed I've seen

I recommend reading the whole article, but a few choice clips are here. 

There isn't anything certain about this report - except what it says -- it might be meaningful, or it may mean that in a gigantic organization nearly every kind of injury will pop up at some point. A laser flash could have come from a number of common household tools.... there's not enough here to know anything. (just more dots that may at some point be connectable to something else -- that might or might not at some time provide us with a picture.)


Tech Radar

Gizmodo

"In what sounds like a fairly routine report are a pair of incidents that potentially point to an Apple AR product in testing: two people experienced eye injuries when using prototypes.

One person required "medical treatment beyond first aid" after she experienced eye discomfort while using a "prototype unit".

"After BT4 user study, user advised study lead, that she experienced discomfort in her eye and said she was able to see the laser flash at several points during the study," the report reads. "Study lead referred her to optometrist and secured prototype unit for analysis."

"See the laser flash" is a phrase that leads us to think the tester was looking through something when she developed an eye issue, though that's our speculation."


Gizmodo spoke to a source at Apple who mused the second incident may involve an AR device Apple is possibly testing, though this person didn't offer any hard evidence. The publication notes the device is "something like glasses with an overhead display."

Slides from STM Presentation

Microvision was very well represented in this presentation, and it was a good engineering talk about how mems work  --- and also about why they want to work with Microvision. 

You can see in the presentation, each of the other two companies gets 1 slide, Microvision gets a series.

I've cut a couple out for your viewing pleasure.

STM Mems Presentation

Conference Call Scheduled

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

MicroVision, Inc. (MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and sensing technology, today announced it will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2017 financial and operating results on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT.

Participants may join the conference call by dialing 1-888-771-4371 (for U.S. participants) or + 1-847-585-4405 (for international participants) ten minutes prior to the start of the call. The conference call pass code number is 44766127. A live webcast of the call can be accessed from the company's web site in the Investor Events Calendar section of the Investors page. A replay of this call will be available after 8:00 a.m. PT the day of the conference call through the same link or by calling 1 (888) 843-7419 (U.S.) or +1-630-652-3042 (international), pass code 4476 6127#. The call-in replay will be available through May 4, 2017.

Microvision New Contract

MicroVision Awarded Development and Supply Contract for Laser Beam Scanning System by a Leading Technology Company

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

MicroVision, Inc. (MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and sensing technology, today announced that it has signed a significant contract with a major technology company to develop a Laser Beam Scanning (LBS) display system and to produce MicroVision specific components.

Under this agreement, MicroVision would develop a new generation of MEMS1, ASICs2 and related firmware for a high resolution, LBS based product the technology company is planning to produce. MicroVision would receive up to $24 million including $14 million in fees for development work that is expected to span 21 months and an upfront payment for other items. The development fees would be paid contingent on completion of milestones in 2017 and 2018. Further details on the milestone timing, amounts related to the milestones, quantity of components and other details of the contract are not being made public.

“We believe the LBS display markets have tremendous opportunity for growth, and we are extremely pleased that a major technology company has decided to work with MicroVision and our PicoP® scanning technology in the development of its product,” said Alexander Tokman, president and CEO of MicroVision. “We believe that our systems expertise and the ability of our patented LBS technology to create a display that produces high resolution images from a low power, small form factor engine were key contributors to winning this business.”

MicroVision’s patented PicoP® scanning technology is well suited to support a wide array of applications including pico projection, interactive pico projection, 3D LiDAR sensing for applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), robotics and industrial applications, and Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR).

1 Micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS)
2 Application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS)

Velodyne Velarray

Well, that sums things up nicely, doesn't it?


Kevin_Watson 7 points an hour ago 

A question you might consider asking yourself: "Hey, self, Kevin Watson worked at Velodyne during the period when Velarray was being developed and left for MicroVision to work on a MEMS-based LiDAR. Either Kevin Watson is a knucklehead, or he knows that a MEMS-based LiDAR has better potential."

I will leave it up to the reader to decide the answer :-)

• permalink
• embed

Arrived at STM Technology Tour 2017 -- Will be updated...

What is noteworthy that I see I will pass along when I'm able.

Good to see you RS!

I'm a little early, this is from the Starbucks across the street.

You could read a lot into the stock price action today -- or figure that it bounced off the 50 day moving average in our new uptrend -- I don't know. 

It appears the main event for MVIS will be after the market close.

MVIS has a display set up.

Display is getting good traffic. 

Interesting off record commentary from a couple of people from STM.... The session to attend at 1:40pst 

Discussed manufacturing processes with an ST person. The biggest thing I learned about from him is inventories and manufacturing processes... from beginning production to ending production of some mems

Attended "Micro-actuators enabling new and unforseen aplications."

Very interesting rundown of how Mems work  (Chemistry and electronics) different kinds of actuation (Electrostatic, Electromagnetic, PiezoElectric)

Three companies were highlighted: Polight -- which has an autofocus that imitates a human eye, Usound, where they use Mems to make good ear-bud speakers, and Microvision. (Also the dual mirror laser projector was referred  to.)

They passed around a sample engine, this is the sample new engine. 

I particularly like the very standard looking connector on one end. Plug and play. 

There was a good bit there about why they are partnering with Microvision, highlighting Microvision's expertise in LBS and their portfolio of 500 patents about LBS projection.

Time of flight presentation: 

All about their TOF tiny (really tiny) single point sensor that they use for camera focus. Engineers there made it a lot about how it works and asked detailed questions. Microvision didn't come up about it, but it was clearly an engineer presenting who was working on that item. Great background information no MVIS information. 

Movie Studio Augmented Reality Patent

Posted by a friend on Reddit


Patently Apple

In another type of headset, two separate displays are used to show different images to the user's left eye and right eye respectively. In another type of headset, the field of view of the display encompasses the full field of view of eye including the peripheral view. In another type of headset, an image is projected on the user's retina using controllable small lasers, mirrors or lenses. Either way, the headset enables the user to experience the displayed virtual reality content more as if the viewer were immersed in a real scene. In the case of augmented reality (AR) content, the viewer may experience the augmented content as if it were a part of, or placed in, an augmented real scene.

Andy Rubin -- Android inventor

New something to watch. 

The most likely place to see real innovation is with people who have already been innovative.

If you're wondering who might be taking this guy seriously? 

This is a picture of him with Masayoshi Son... And Son was reportedly going to put in 100 million...  a pretty good relationship. They apparently lost the investment over an Apple conflict.

Andy Rubin, a co-creator of Android, lost out on a $100 million investment from SoftBank as Apple deepened ties with the Japanese investor, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.


CNBC

The father of Android, Andy Rubin, is currently kicking the tires on a new smartphone company named Essential. Rubin teased the company's first device on Monday, posting an image to Twitter and noting that he's "really excited about how this is shaping up" and is "eager to get it in more people's hands."

Rubin's tweet suggests that the company is nearing a final unveiling and, likely shortly thereafter, a major launch. Rubin would be wise to get this out the door after the Galaxy S8 hits the market sometime in April and before Apple introduces the iPhone 8 in September.

Foxconn is investor

Patently Apple

To kick off 2017 we learned that Foxconn was a known investor in Andy Rubin's new smartphone venture. Google's Eric Schmidt sat on Apple's board during the crucial years prior to the iPhone's launch wherein Schmidt was privy to developments of the iPhone while at the same time Google was backing Andy Rubin's Android OS to compete with Apple's revolutionary iPhone. Wasn't that a direct conflict of Interest that Schmidt should have told Steve Jobs about? Yes, of course but he didn't. Schmidt played Judas to Jobs. So Andy Rubin's new smartphone company called "Essential Products Inc" is no friend to Apple. The "Essential" smartphone is rumored to be ready to launch prior to Apple's World Wide Developer Conference. Foxconn is backing this company and is likely to manufacture the new smartphone.

Surgery-- Augmented Reality Benefit

To train pilots they use simulators -- with them, they can train people to handle things they'll probably never actually experience. 

It's about as difficult to train surgeons.

Near eye displays will be an essential component of something that can improve productivity and people. That's a good place to be.

Digital Trends  -- more at the source.

Touch Surgery Simulations 

Can a surgeon really use an app to practice surgery, and is it necessary? Surgeons don’t get to practice much. Contrary to what some may think, cadavers aren’t commonly used, and often the first surgery performed is exactly that — the very first time the doctor is doing the procedure. :

“Surgery is a process, with a series of actions, and those actions are used to navigate through the body to find the problem and fix it,” Touch Surgery CEO and founder Jean Nehme explained to Digital Trends. “The best surgeons have years of experience, telling them what to do, when, and alerting them to any potential problems. The question is, how do you take that expertise, and pass it on to new surgeons? Typically it’s done through description, transfer of knowledge through training sessions, or more recently, videos of surgeries.”

****

Touch Surgery steps in here. By combining intelligence from surgical text books, studies, videos, and direct knowledge from discussions with a surgeon; it’s possible to bring it all together to create the mock procedure seen in the app. But this only comes after each surgery has been storyboarded, rendered, and animated by a team that includes members who’ve previously worked with movie effects experts Industrial Light and Magic. Realism is essential, and the team has had doctors try to move the non-existent patient’s limbs or body around while testing the platform on HoloLens, demonstrating how close to reality the experience is.

***** 

“Anything you can do to familiarise yourself with the situation,” Nehme told us, “is enormously beneficial.” Quoting studies and research on Touch Surgery’s effectiveness, he said, “By using Touch Surgery and repeatedly testing yourself, you go from not knowing anything, to knowing what you need to know in five hours.”

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/touch-surgery-app-hololens-training/#ixzz4eQ5wsTQD
Follow us: @digitaltrends on Twitter | DigitalTrends on Facebook

iPhone 8 -- interesting leak.

So, those who know me, know I really don't like fruit company rumors much.

I'm certainly NOT drawing any conclusions from this or getting all excited.

But there is something here worth noting: The mockup phone on the right clearly has a "sled"  -- so it's possible -- if this is an actual picture, that the iPhone 8 could have accessories like Motorola's Motomods. 

Still is time to be very skeptical of everything.

This is also from the Kim Komando website, and I have always found her to be reliable.

Kim Komando

And from iTechPost

Luminar is Microvision?

... I'd feel better if I could do just a little better connecting these dots, but this is compelling.

If you can find the missing link between the two, use the contact form and let me know.

LA Times   | TechCrunch

Five years ago, Russell co-founded Luminar Technologies, a Silicon Valley start-up trying to steer the rapidly expanding self-driving car industry in a new direction. Luminar kept its work closely guarded until Thursday, when it revealed the first details about a product Russell is touting as a far more powerful form of lidar, a key sensing technology used in autonomous vehicles designed by Google spinoff Waymo, Uber and major automakers.

Lidar systems work by bouncing laser beams off nearby objects and measuring the reflections to build up a detailed 3-D picture of the surrounding environment. The technology is similar to radar, which uses radio waves instead of laser beams.
Russell says Luminar's version, consisting of its own patented hardware and software, will provide 50 times the resolution and 10 times the range of current lidar systems. Those improvements, he said, will enable self-driving cars to be sold on the mass market more quickly.
*****

One of Luminar's early investors is a venture capital firm backed by Thiel and EBay Inc. founder Pierre Omidyar. Russell dropped out of Stanford University after just three months when he won a Thiel fellowship, which pays students $100,000 to work on promising ideas instead of pursuing a degree.

DisplayGround

MicroVision’s PicoP technology is enabling Nathan Linder of MIT Media Lab to transform any surface into an interactive computer display. Nathan is a graduate student leading the LuminAR project, a research focused on the concept of augmented reality, and he has designed a device that combines a camera, a digital projector and a wireless node with the objective of building a computer form factor that is neither screen-centric nor keyboard-based. With LuminAR, any surface can be turned into a touch-screen interface. 

As TouchScreen


The Star


Patent Link connects Austin Russell (search for Russell)

STM Tech Tour

I will be there, seeing what they have to offer. If they allow pictures I'll get as many as possible.

From DisplayGround


ST Technology Tour 2017
Our co-marketing partnership with STMicroelectronics enables us to be part of a technology day they are hosting right in our own backyard in Seattle on April 18. We will be demonstrating our interactive display capabilities along with our small form factor display engine. Attendees at the event will also hear a presentation by ST on Laser Beam Scanning technology, which ST and MicroVision are promoting globally. Learn more: http://www.st.com/techtour

Supercruise --- Real Self-Driving Cars Coming to America

Sometimes you just have to wonder why the State of Michigan keeps buying shares in MicroVision.

Compare the LiDAR Picture in the Cadillac Video with the MicroVision Video Below.

That LiDar Demo (Compare 18-24 seconds in the Cadillac video to the MicroVision video, at about 45 seconds)

Also find it fascinating that they have mapped the highways....

Thanks Dr. B

From Forbes --- more at the source.



The new technology will ship as an option in Cadillac's flagship car, the CT6, which the company calls a "prestige sedan." It will be available in fall this year, only in the U.S. and Canada. The geographical limitation is due to Cadillac's proprietary mapping: the company mapped every mile of  "limited-access highway" in both of those countries.

******

Cadillac's focus is driver attention and safety. The technology includes automatic lane-centering and speed control, thanks to the "precision LiDAR map data" that Cadillac collected, plus real-time cameras and GPS sensors. LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, uses lasers to measure distance to objects.

AR = Game Changer for Self imrpovement

There are a lot of use cases for AR. Another one for the catalog. Near-eye display or projection... the scanner will recognize who you are and messages could be customized.

Huffington Post - More at Source

According to Forbes, only eight per cent of us will keep our New Year's resolutions. Why is that? Many of us want to start exercising, stop procrastinating or start saving money; others want to quit
smoking and drink less... but for most of us, these grand new plans will be abandoned three weeks down the line.

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Gamified self-improvement

Here are some examples of how AR, above any other technology, could be the key to breaking bad habits and the future of self-improvement.

Imagine, you're sitting on your couch, craving some late-night snacks, wearing your AR device. You walk to your fridge and open it: an icon appears telling you just how much heavier you'll get if you eat that piece of cake in front of you.

Or it's Sunday night and you forgot to complete a task for work. All of a sudden, your boss's picture comes up right in front of your eyes, telling you to get it done.