AR Development

Spacetop Launches Windows App to Turn Laptops into Large AR Workspaces

May 2, 2025 From roadtovr

Late last year, Sightful announced it was cancelling its unique laptop with built-in AR glasses, instead pivoting to build a version of its AR workspace software for Windows. Now the company has released Spacetop for Windows, which lets you transform your environment into a private virtual display for productivity on the go.

Like its previous hardware, Spacetop works with XREAL AR glasses, however the new subscription-based app is targeting a much broader set of AI PCs, including the latest hardware from Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, Acer and Microsoft.

Previously, the company was working on its own ‘headless’ laptop of sorts, which ran an Android-based operating system called SpaceOS. Sightful however announced in October 2024 it was cancelling and refunding customers for its Spacetop G1 AR workspace device, which was slated to cost $1,900.

At the time, Sightful said the pivot came down to just how much neural processing units (NPU) could improve processing power and battery efficiency when running AR applications.

Now, Sightful has released its own Spacetop Bundle at $899, which includes XREAL Air 2 Ultra AR glasses (regularly priced at $699) and 12-month Spacetop subscription (renews annually at $200).

Additionally, Sightful is selling optional optical lenses at an added cost, including prescription single-vision lens inserts for $50, and prescription progressive-vision lens inserts for $150.

Recommended laptops include Dell XPS Core Ultra 7 (32GB), HP Elitebook, Lenovo Yoga Slim, ASUS Zenbook, Acer Swift Go 14, and Microsoft Surface Pro for Business (Ultra 7), however Sightful notes this list isn’t exhaustive, as the cadre of devices which integrate Intel Core Ultra 7/9 processors with Meteor Lake architecture (or newer) is continuously growing.

Key features include:

Seamless access to popular apps: Spacetop works with consumer and business apps
that power productivity every day for Windows users
Push, slide, and rotate your workspace with intuitive keystrokes
Travel mode that keeps your workspace with you on the go, whether in a plane, train, coffee shop, Ubering, or on your sofa
Bright, crystal-clear display that adjusts to lighting for use indoors and out
Natural OS experience, designed to feel familiar yet unlock the potential of spatial computing vs. a simple screen extension
All-day comfort with lightweight glasses (83g)
Massive 100” display for a multi-monitor / multi-window expansive workspace
Ergonomic benefits help avoid neck strain, hunching, and squinting at a small display

Backed by over $61M in funding, Sightful was founded in 2020 by veterans from PrimeSense, Magic Leap, and Broadcom. It is headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in Palo Alto, New York, and Taiwan. You can learn more about Spacetop for Windows here.

Google Reportedly Set to Acquire Eye-tracking Startup to Bolster Android XR Hardware Efforts

March 13, 2025 From roadtovr

Google is reportedly set to acquire Canada-based eye-tracking startup AdHawk Microsystems Inc., something that would strengthen the company’s ongoing foray into XR headsets and glasses.

As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Google is allegedly acquiring AdHawk for $115 million, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The deal is said to include $15 million in future payments based on the eye-tracking company reaching performance targets. While the acquisition is purportedly slated to conclude this week, a deal still hasn’t been signed, leaving some room for doubt. Furthermore, should the deal go through, the report maintains AdHawk’s staff will join Google’s Android XR team.

This isn’t the first time AdHawk has flirted with an acquisition by a key XR player. In 2022, Bloomberg reported the company was in the final stages of an acquisition by Meta.

Notably, AdHawk is best known for its innovations in eye-tracking, which replaces traditional cameras with micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), which is said to result in faster processing and reduced power consumption—two things highly prized by AR and smart glasses creators today.

Its flagship product, the MindLink glasses, is a research-focused device that is meant to connect eye movements with neurological and ocular health, human behavior, and state of mind, the company says on its website. Additionally, the company offers its camera-free eye-tracking modules for researchers working with VR devices, such as Meta Quest.

While neither Google nor AdHawk have commented on report, Google is ramping up its XR division to compete with the likes of Meta and Apple.

In December, Google announced Android XR, marking a decisive shift for the company’s XR efforts, as the company is bringing a ‘full fat’ version of Android to headsets for the first time, which not only includes XR-specific apps but also the full slate of Android content. Android XR is ostensibly set to debut on Samsung’s Project Moohan mixed reality headset, which still has no release date or price.

Then, in January, Google announced the acquisition of a number of HTC’s XR engineers, a deal amounting to $250 million. At the time, Google said HTC veterans would “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform across the headsets and glasses ecosystem.”

In addition to supporting its Android XR software efforts, the acquisition of a novel eye-tracking startup would also prove valuable in the company’s internal XR hardware efforts, which has been nothing short of fragmented over the years.

Google has summarily cancelled a number of XR projects in the past, including its Daydream VR platform in 2019, Google Glass for Enterprise in 2023, and its Iris AR glasses project in 2024.

Meta & Plessey Announce Super Bright, High-efficiency Red MicroLED: an Important Piece in All-day AR

January 16, 2025 From roadtovr

Meta announced in 2020 it was working with UK-based AR display maker Plessey, which was tapped to provide Meta with AR displays over the course of multiple years. Now the companies have announced they’ve developed what they’re deeming “the world’s brightest” red microLED display for AR glasses.

Plessey and Meta say the new red microLED display offers brightness up to 6,000,000 nits at high resolution (<5um>

Blue GaN microLEDs are traditionally more efficient and brighter, while green GaN microLEDs are slightly less efficient than blue, but typically much more efficient than red. All three should be balanced to create a full-color, high-performance AR display, making red color output a limiting factor.

“With the world’s brightest red microLED display, we are one major step closer to making AR glasses a mainstream reality,” says Dr. Keith Strickland, CEO of Plessey, who calls it “a major breakthrough in the development of AR technology.”

Meta’s Orion AR Glasses Prototype | Image courtesy Meta

“We are building the future of human connection and the technology that makes it possible,” says Jason Hartlove, Vice President of Display and Optics at Meta’s Reality Labs. “These types of breakthroughs are crucial to build AR glasses that help people stay more present and empowered in the world with a form factor people actually feel comfortable wearing. Our work with Plessey has pushed the boundaries of what’s previously been possible, and it’s only the beginning–the future is starting to look up.”

As part of its long-term commercial agreement, Plessey says it’s continuing to work with Meta by dedicating its manufacturing operations to support the development of prototypes and new technologies for potential use in the XR category.

This follows the unveiling of Meta’s AR glasses prototype Orion last September, which includes a purported 70 degree field-of-view, silicon carbide waveguides, custom silicon, microLED projectors, wrist-worn electromyography (EMG) band used for hand-tracking, and external wireless compute unit that slips into your pocket.

Although Meta isn’t commercializing Orion, following its unveiling at Connect 2024 Meta CTO and Reality Labs chief Andrew Bosworth said the company will make its AR consumer tech available sometime before 2030, noting that the company aims to make them “affordable and accessible at least in the space of phone, laptop territory.”