An Interesting Upgrade to an Interesting AR Headset

The X-Craft headset launched by Rokid Inc. (Redwood City, CA) last December does not look quite like other AR glasses products. Nor do the specifications to which the X-Craft was designed read like those of other consumer AR glasses. The reason is that the X-Craft is intended for rugged, industrial applications. Targeted applications include high risk environments such as field oil and gas, electric power, aviation and rail transport sectors.

Activities for which the AR glasses are represented as well suited include operations, inspections, remote training and collaboration, facility maintenance, safety and quality inspections.

In order to make the X-Craft suitable for use in rugged applications, a design choice was made to configure the headset so that it could be attached to a standard hardhat helmet rather than worn directly on the user's head. Another choice was to design the X-Craft to meet the requirements for a Zone 1 explosion proof protection rating. More specifically, the X-Craft is IP66 rated and ATEX/IECEx certified.

Definitions of the terminology used in the paragraph above can help readers better understand the standards to which the X-Craft headset was designed.

A video appended to the end of this article illustrates the Rokid X-Craft headset. The headset is also pictured in the figure below in which it is attached to a hardhat helmet.

The Rokid X-Craft AR headset attached to a hardhat helmet.

The Rokid X-Craft headset is standalone and does not require connection to a PC. The headset includes a binocular diffractive optical waveguide that enables video imagery to overlay a view of the outside world. The weight of the headset is evenly distributed to enhance comfort during prolonged usage. The headband includes a hinge mechanism that allows the glasses to be flipped up and out of the user's direct line of view. Also included are large physical dials and buttons that enable the user to easily operate the headset even while wearing protective gloves.

Other features and specifications of the Rokid X-Craft headset include the following:

The Rokid X-Craft's headband side rail design allows attachment of a variety of accessories and peripheral devices to increase the functionality of the headset. Available attachments include an industrial endoscope and an infrared sensor module.

Company literature explains that there are some situations in which frontline workers need superior video production quality. More than that, there are situations that are likely to need superior video call quality. In other words, stable real time and recorded video is believed critical to actual applications of the Rokid X-Craft headset.

To better achieve this goal, Rokid has just announced a collaboration with Imint Image Intelligence AB (Uppsala, Sweden), a provider of video enhancement software. Under the agreement, Imint's Vidhance software will be integrated into Rokid's X-Craft headset. Vidhance video stabilization software is a technology that intelligently compensates for camera movement to deliver "the most stable video possible," especially in low light environments.

The company adds up all of the features and capabilities of the Rokid X-Craft headset by advertising that it provides the user "multi-person collaboration, screen and camera sharing, live annotation, whiteboard, and video recording, all of which can assist frontline workers in solving complex issues efficiently, and help companies avoid additional travel costs and maintenance downtime." -Arthur Berman