Epson Invites SXSW Attendees to Experience Conceptual Augmented and Virtual Reality App Demonstrations

AUSTIN, Texas — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 7, 2014 — SXSW 2014, Stand 943 – Epson America will showcase groundbreaking conceptual demos with its second-generation Moverio^™ BT-200 “smart glasses” for augmented and virtual reality experiences at the SXSW Conference in Austin, March 9-12, 2014.

Premier smart glasses app developer Sean McCracken, CEO of Imaginary Computer, will be demonstrating three new conceptual apps on the Moverio BT-200s at the Epson stand, including:

Gesture Control Beyond ‘Minority Report’
This is the first smart glasses app integrating the Myo gesture control armband from Y-Combinator alumnus Thalmic Labs. With the Myo wearable device and Moverio, a user makes a fist to ‘grab’ data streams and then moves their arms to relocate the data wherever they wish in their field of view – enabling a transparent, virtual 3D desktop on top of the user’s real-world environment.

Moving beyond the gestural computing made famous in the futuristic movie, “Minority Report” where the characters are tied to hardware displays when accessing information gesturally, users can walk around with the Moverio smart glasses and view multiple data windows anywhere.

Integrated Second-Screen Experience
For the entertainment-focused attendees at SXSW, McCracken has created a second-screen experience that enables the Moverio smart glass wearer to watch their favorite TV programs while viewing real-time updates from their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds with a simple turn of the head with Moverio’s on-board head-motion sensors.

The augmented reality app allows user to choose any focal point such as a TV, computer monitor or even live concert or sporting event, and sit back and access their “lifestream” without interrupting their viewing experience.

Shared Smart Glasses Experience
McCracken’s award-winning PSYCLOPs arcade game for smart glasses has been updated to allow up to four Moverio users to play the game simultaneously via Bluetooth^®. Tablets and smartphones can also be integrated, demonstrating how smart glasses could fit into a larger eco-system of devices in consumer or enterprise applications involving shared experiences.

In addition, Epson Moverio development partner APX Labs will showcase its Internet-of-Things demo at SXSW.

With APX Labs’ Skylight platform incorporating SK Telecom’s Indoor Location platform, the Moverio smart glasses app enable users to control lights completely hands-free, with broad implications for intention-based interaction and control of Internet-connected devices in commercial settings.

“The unique core technologies powering the Moverio BT-200 allow developers to push the boundaries of what’s possible with new applications that promise to change our world,” said Anna Jen, director, New Ventures/New Products for Epson America. “Epson’s Moverio developer program offers companies the opportunity to work with a global leader to create innovative smart glasses applications for both the consumer and enterprise markets.”

Uniquely affordable among rival smart glasses, the Epson Moverio BT-200 offers a true binocular experience that projects see-through overlays of digital content onto the real-world in the smart glasses’ field of view. In addition, the Moverio BT-200 includes a combination of new features including gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetic compass sensors for head-motion tracking and hands-free navigation, and a front-facing camera to record images and video as well as detect real-world markers for augmented reality applications.

Jen and McCracken will lead a Core Conversation at SXSW titled “Innovative Apps are Key to Wearable Tech Adoption.” This session will be held at 12:30–1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 10 at the Hyatt Regency – Hill Country ABCD Room.

The Moverio BT-200 smart glasses will be available at the end of March with an MSRP of $699.99. For complete Moverio BT-200 specifications and additional information, visit www.epson.com/moverio and www.youtube.com/moverio.

Also, connect with Epson America on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/EpsonAmerica), Twitter ( http://twitter.com/EpsonAmerica) and YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/moverio).

About Thalmic Labs

Thalmic Labs develops and markets exciting, new technologies in the area of human-computer interaction. Its first product, the Myo™ armband, measures electrical activity in muscles to wirelessly control computers, phones and other digital technologies, resulting in seamless interaction between humans and devices. The company was founded in 2012 by Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey, and Aaron Grant, and announced the closing of a $14.5M Series A funding round in June 2013.

About Epson

Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader whose product lineup ranges from inkjet printers and 3LCD projectors to sensors and other microdevices. Dedicated to exceeding the vision of its customers worldwide, Epson delivers customer value based on compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies in markets spanning enterprise and the home to commerce and industry.