Laster SeeThru

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Laster SeeThru
Lasterseethru 1.png
Category smartglasses
Developer LASTER Technologies [1]
Announced 15 January 2014 [2]
Released Developers:
Consumers: June 2014 [3] (pre-order)
Price 400 USD [4]
Operating system unknown
Display LCOS [4]
Resolution 800x600 pixels [5]
Field of view 25
25 °
(diagonal) [5]
Weight 55 g [5]
Controls

inertial, touchpad, smartphone

Data available limited
Risk factor low
Not standalone
http://laster.fr/products/seethru/

Laster SeeThru is an augmented reality eyewear produced by the French technology company Laster Technologies. The display is coloured and features diagonal FOV of 25 degrees. The goal with this device was to provide inconspicuous, smartphone-paired wearable device that would offer the user context-sensitive information and natural interface. The company started a Kickstarter campaign on 15 January 2014 but failed to secure the needed funding and the campaign ended on 16 March 2014. As of January 2016, no new information are available about the device.

Main characteristics

SeeThru is a smartglasses device equipped with one projector-based augmented reality transparent display. The device aims to offer a broad selection of augmented reality applications, such as phone calling, Internet browsing, text reading, street navigation, real-time text translation, pilot and sailing HUD. The device has no camera. SeeThru has to be paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth for processing and Internet connectivity capabilities.

Purpose

The company wants to offer, lightweight and inconspicuous wearable device that augments the user with context-sensitive information and allow him to access the Internet and his data hands-free.

Company & People

Laster Technologies is a French company established in 2005. It specializes in eyewear for industrial, medical, defence, and civil power applications.[6]

  • Zile Liu, M.D. - co-founder, optronics and optical design
  • Stephane Denoual, M.D. - computer vision
  • Benoit Froissard, Ph.D. - optics and machine vision
  • Gerald Nacache, M.D. - VP Marketing

Important Dates

  • 11 March 2013 - Laster announces the development of Laster SeeThru[7]
  • 15 January 2014 - Kickstarter campaign started[8]
  • 18 March 2014 - Kickstarter campaign ended unsuccessfully[9]

Enhancement/Therapy/Treatment

Enhancement - Laster SeeThru offer contextual information and hands-free control and access to information technologies and services. This enhances the user with better awareness and access to information.

Treatment - Laster also specializes in helping people with visual impairment. Properly equipped, Laster SeeThru can utilize this know-how to better the lives of visually impaired users.

Ethical & Health Issues

There are no ethical or health issues connected to this particular device.

For more general issues connected with smartglasses, please see the Smartglasses synopsis.

Public & Media Impact and Presentation

Media took notice of Laster SeeThru around the time of the Kickstarter campaign in Q1 2014. The articles summarize the technical specifications of the device and all of them directly compare it to Google Glass. VentureBeat highlights the lack of camera dues to privacy concerns but criticises the design of the glasses for their conspicuousness.[10] Gizmag goes over the technical specifications and draw comparison for each of them with Google Glass. Negative nor positive assessment is given.[11] Business Wire writes about the image recognition features the device promises to have and shares Laster's claim that the device offers the best image quality on the market.[12]

The only article about a hands-on experience can be found in PCWorld magazine. The article begins with the description and possible scenarios for the image recognition capabilities of the device. It discusses the position of the display and considers it to be more comfortable in comparison to Google Glass. The article then goes on explaining various technical aspects of the device with the emphasis on the image recognition and context-based information display.[13]

An article on IEEE Spectrum from July 2010 discusses the, then new, Laster augmented reality display, a predecessor to SeeThru. The author got a hands-on experience with the device, which Laster then dubbed "visual walkman". She describes her experience wearing the device as positive and adds that she "didn’t get that queasy feeling I’ve gotten trying video display glasses".[14]

Public Policy

There is no public policy that considers this device specifically.

For more information about policies related to smartglasses, please see the Smartglasses synopsis.

Related Technologies, Projects or Scientific Research

There are no related projects or research relevant to this device specifically.

For more information about this type of devices, please see the Smartglasses synopsis.

References

  1. http://www.laster.fr/contact/
  2. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/496333639/laster-seethru/updates
  3. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/496333639/laster-seethru?ref=users
  4. 4.0 4.1 http://www.techhive.com/article/2105865/hands-on-with-laster-seethru-a-direct-augmented-reality-challenge-to-google-glass.html
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://laster.fr/products/preorder1/
  6. http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=98125504
  7. http://laster.fr/laster/news/
  8. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140115005387/en/LASTER-SeeThru-Genuine-Augmented-Reality-Wireless-Eyewear
  9. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/496333639/laster-seethru/updates
  10. http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/15/laster-seethru-a-350-camera-free-google-glass-alternative-for-the-privacy-conscious/
  11. http://www.gizmag.com/laster-seethru-smart-glasses/30489/
  12. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140115005387/en/LASTER-SeeThru-Genuine-Augmented-Reality-Wireless-Eyewear
  13. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2105865/hands-on-with-laster-seethru-a-direct-augmented-reality-challenge-to-google-glass.html
  14. http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/at-work/innovation/finally-an-augmented-reality-i-can-stomach