Ocutrx Vision Technologies
Developing a State-of-the-Art AR Ecosystem

Waveguide technology may have opened a new market for consumer-oriented mobile AR, but when it comes to the commercial and industrial application of the technology, Michael Freeman, the CEO of Ocutrx Vision Technologies, explains how it is not feasible as it obstructs eyesight and OSHO wouldn’t permit it. And rightly so. For the waveguide technology to be a part of industrial AR and VR headset applications, it has to support a wide field of vision, which is impossible as per the design. Enter Ocutrx. The company has developed a heads-up display system that allows unobstructed sight for the users permitting them to see not only the displayed image but also the surrounding job-site. The Irvine, CA-based startup, Ocutrx is developing the best-in-class AR headset and AR ecosystem, which has taken the AR industry by storm.

Delivered as a connected-network device, the Oculenz ARwear Glasses can be paired with the users’ existing devices, such as the smartphone, tablet, or laptop and allows them to migrate their existing apps to Oculenz, and also stream video content. A true ecosystem as is, the device provides a dynamic developer platform for a truly open system that can be adopted in a multitude of settings, such as cellular-connect, medical, gaming, industrial, commercial, consumer, and drones. The headset and lenses are lightweight—less than 200 grams—and the headset boasts a 110-degree FOV with 2.5K resolution, with two HD cameras, five camera/sensors and includes noise-canceling microphones and stereo sound options.

Further, the ARwear has both Mini-HDMI and USB-C connectors for direct-connect with cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi wireless connections for a completely tetherless and go-anywhere AR system. A D-Pad dongle houses a controller for mode setting and battery, which can be charged on a separate system. “While many AR companies built a platform first, and are now looking to find a market, we strategically designed our first wearable gear for the medical industry, where there are many highly-motivated buyers, and then we intend to expand into the AR market-at-large,” says Freeman.

Founded in 2015 by Freeman, the Emmy Award-winning designer of streaming mobile video technology which became the basis for the IEEE 802.11(n) MIMO standard, Ocutrx created the first streaming smartphone video product which was licensed by virtually all the cell companies which existed in the 1990s. With Oculenz, Freeman delivered the first groundbreaking technology to offer a solution for advanced central visual defects in patients with retinal diseases. “This innovative AR device brings a new hope to regain functional vision previously considered impossible. The impact on the individual’s quality of life and the retained or regained ability to function at home and in the workplace productively will be immeasurable,” he adds further.

Having been patented for restoring functional sight to patients with visual field deficits in April 2018, the technology covers a diagnostic phase where the patients can wear the Oculenz to map their own retinal defects, alone or with the help of their physicians. In addition, the Oculenz’ buffered display shows the real-world video image, but none is shown on the exact area of the patient’s eye defect. Instead, it is directed to the patient’s existing good areas of the macula or near-adjacent peripheral retina. Currently, Oculenz has been focused on applying their video processing technology to assist low-vision patients in the large $40 billion vision care market. Alongside the endless possibilities associated with the state-of-the-art device, the company will be also planning to market Oculenz to other sectors including gaming, commercial, industrial, HAZMAT, e-commerce, aerospace, drones, and defense, in the near future.