Unlike virtual reality, where you put on a headset and you're immersed in a virtual world, augmented reality lets you see the real world with virtual elements layered on top of it.
Amazon is apparently interested in augmented reality — but the company wants to remove the awkward headset from the equation.
On Tuesday, Amazon was granted two patents that show how it could use projectors and cameras to beam virtual objects into your living room.
Both patents describe a device called an “augmented reality functional node” (ARFN) that could basically be placed in a number of areas including on a ceiling, wall, or table to beam content to certain surfaces.
These nodes are composed of multiple components including computing devices, a projector, a camera, and other sensors which basically enable the machine to project images and other media to a surface.
One of the patents called “Object Tracking in a 3Dimensional Environment” shows how cameras within the node could be used to control virtual objects and content via gestures.
Amazon’s other augmented reality related-patent is for a “reflector-based depth mapping of a scene” and uses light beams to measure the depth of objects in an environment so that it can then beam AR scenes and track what is happening in the room.
“The projected content may include electronic books, videos, images, interactive menus, or any other sort of visual content. For instance, a user within the environment may request that the ARFN project a particular electronic book that the user wishes to read. In response, the ARFN may project the book onto a projection surface within the environment,” the tracking patent states.
It’s worth noting that while these patents don’t require goofy headsets for an augmented reality experience, the company may also be looking to create some sort of AR headgear.
Earlier this year Amazon was granted a patent for smart glasses that also enable augmented reality, beaming virtual objects onto a physical environment.
While these are just patents and may never become a reality, it does show the company is looking to see how it might make a play in the AR space. Amazon's local rival Microsoft is also heavily invested in augmented reality, as the first version of its own augmented reality headset, called the HoloLens, will reach developers' hands in early 2016. That headset will cost $3,000.
