Will Edge Computing Give Us the Edge to Create Sunglass-Sized VR HMD?

Will we ever really reach a VR experience where the headset is the size and weight of sunglasses -- you know, the Holy Grail form factor envisioned by Neal Stephenson in Snowcrash decades ago?  I explore this topic in my new article for Samsung NEXT's Component magazine, where some experts argue that edge computing will make this possible:

In theory, edge computing could obviate the latency issues associated with moving large amounts of data back and forth from the cloud, particularly high-quality 3D graphics and other assets that would be used by low-profile form factors like glasses.

“Since HMD [head-mounted display] and other XR devices essentially become simple data input/output and rendering devices,” Theta’s Mitch Liu says, “their form factor can be vastly reduced.”

Infinite Retina’s Irena Cronin sees edge computing as a necessary condition for next-gen XR headsets. “When we’re talking about visuals especially,” she tells me, “without having these kinds of features, and the massive amounts of data that are going to be used having to do with spatial computing, it’s a non-starter,” she said.

Jeri Ellsworth (above), CEO of AR startup Tilt Five and someone who's been creating variations of the sunglasses-sized HMDs since her time at Valve in 2012, injects some caution into this vision:

“There seems to be the misconception that edge computing will mostly eliminate the need for complex compute on the XR headsets and will be the quick gateway to thin and stylish immersive devices in just a few years,” she says. “Headsets will always need an in-device CPU for high-speed tracking systems that can understand the world around the user to perform local latency correction and fill in for variable transmission latency or temporary loss of connection.”

However, while she believes edge computing won’t necessarily lead us immediately to the sunglasses form factor, it can still provide other advantages to XR devices.“I do see a big benefit for improving the fidelity of the experience by moving high compute aspects like rendering and game/application logic into the cloud,” Ellsworth said.

So at minimum, we should see edge computing help improve the VR/AR/XR rendering and responsiveness, but we shouldn't necessarily expect it also to happen on Rayban-sized sunglasses -- at least not anytime soon. 

Much more here.

Comments

[Joey1058]

First of all, let's address what "edge computing" is. In it's simplest terms, a local computing device, perhaps your gaming computer, or a home server in the basement, is networked between your HMD and the internet. This isn't much different from the early HMD's that were tethered to your PC for VR. We've simply gone from wired to wireless. It just seems to me that everyone has discovered the technobabble and is hyping it way more than it needs to be.