Google helped raise over half a billion dollars for an unknown technology startup named Magic Leap in October of 2014 – $542 million, to put a fine point on it.
Here's what we know: The company, Magic Leap, is based in Florida, and is run by Rony Abovitz. (Here's a great piece from New York Magazine breaking down his eccentricities). Abovitz used to run a medical device company, MAKO Surgical, which he co-founded. Stryker Corporation, the medical technology company, bought MAKO Surgical for $1.65 billion in 2013.
Outside of the confines of the Magic Leap's Florida HQ, very few people have tried what Magic Leap is making: an "eyeglasses-like device, different from Google Glass, designed to project computer-generated images over a real-life setting," as the Wall Street Journal described it.
One journalist at the MIT Technology Review used it back in February. Beyond trying out unwieldy but functioning prototypes, she saw a non-functioning target version of the device, which she described as, "a chunky pair of sports sunglasses wired to a square pack that fits into your pocket."
Unappealing as that sounds, what you'll be able to do with Magic Leap's mystery headset sounds far more impressive. When asked in a Reddit AMA, "In a world with Magic Leap, is there a need for physical screens? Laptops, smartphones or even smartwatches?" Abovitz answered simply: "No :-)"
Check out Magic Leap's promised functionality, from visual email to terrifying tank encounters.