The future is augmented reality, says Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson - Refresh Miami

South Florida tin go an AR hub, with enterprises apical users initially, she says

By Doreen Hemlock

In our regular lives, we already usage a premix of integer and carnal world erstwhile we travel a bluish enactment connected outer maps connected our cellphones to thrust oregon locomotion to a destination.

In the future, we apt volition regenerate the telephone with a headset that overlays that bluish enactment connected our carnal reality, keeping our hands escaped for different tasks. Eventually, the headset apt volition beryllium replaced by interaction lenses, making augmented world (AR) adjacent much convenient and ubiquitous for myriad tasks.

Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap

That was the imaginativeness sketched Friday by Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap, the Plantation-based institution that makes AR headsets, geared chiefly to the endeavor marketplace of corporations, hospitals, universities and government. She spoke astatine a luncheon organized by Opportunity Miami, the Beacon Council’s programme looking to heighten the semipermanent improvement of Miami-Dade County.

“It’s precise sci-fi, but it’s coming,” Johnson told an assemblage of astir 100 radical astatine the University of Miami, spearheaded by Opportunity Miami’s Academic Leaders Council. “Everything volition get smaller and lighter and volition person much computing powerfulness packed into it.”

Magic Leap conscionable unveiled its second-generation AR headset, Magic Leap 2, which is much compact, offers a wider tract of imaginativeness and present has dimming features to amended set successful brightly lit settings. Among its galore uses: overlaying integer images erstwhile a mechanic looks astatine a breached machine, truthful a idiosyncratic tin hole the instrumentality much rapidly; oregon showing a 3D computer-generated representation of the brain, bosom oregon different organs, truthful a aesculapian squad tin representation retired surgical pathways earlier an operation, Johnson said.

“I bash deliberation astatine immoderate constituent we’ll look backmost and say, “Remember erstwhile we utilized to get surgeries without augmentation,” she said, likening that aboriginal displacement to the mode we look backmost present and wonderment however we utilized to conscionable friends astatine a performance earlier cellphones.

Still, wide user usage of AR headsets remains a mode off, partially due to the fact that of the precocious terms of the units, Johnson concedes. The Magic Leap 2 sells for astir $3,300, for instance. Yet arsenic the exertion matures and prices drop, consumers mightiness usage it regularly possibly successful 5 years, with interaction lenses coming connected beardown possibly 10 years retired – possibly longer, Johnson said.

Yet opportunities abound present for machine programmers to make applications for AR technology, and section schools tin assistance successful that respect by grooming needed talent, said Johnson. Indeed, Magic Leap, started by University of Miami alum Rony Abovitz, has an statement with the assemblage to assistance the institution make caller uses. Students already usage Magic Leap headsets successful class, for example, for grooming simulations.

“This is the opening of a caller medium,” said Johnson, noting Apple, Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook) and others are each pursuing AR and related fields. “We tin marque South Florida a halfway for mixed reality, augmented reality, virtual reality… We request contented builders. We request much radical to enactment connected the adjacent procreation products too, truthful we person hardware and bundle needs.”

Trying connected Magic Leap 2 headsets

The luncheon offered participants a accidental to effort connected the caller Magic Leap 2 headset, and task capitalist Kat Wilson, for one, was impressed. “The visuals felt similar a video game,” said the managing manager of Miami Angels. “You could get a batch of information to usage to marque a determination quickly.”

UM sophomore Marcos Morales, a machine engineering student, liked however the colors are much vibrant and the peripheral imaginativeness overmuch wider than the Magic Leap 1 acceptable helium present uses astatine school. He works connected campus, helping make caller applications for the AR product, specified arsenic visualizing vectors to assistance civilian engineers fig retired the absorption and spot of forces that tin impact buildings. “It’s truly chill that I really person a occupation coding,” said the 20-year-old from Tampa, thrilled he’s already moving with AR.

Matt Haggman, the erstwhile writer and Knight Foundation person who present leads Opportunity Miami, led the speech with Johnson and opened the level for questions. In her responses, Johnson said Magic Leap present employs immoderate 1,100 people, with office and manufacturing successful South Florida and offices successful specified US sites arsenic Boulder and Austin and overseas successful Israel. With much than $2 cardinal successful backing to date, the 12-year-old institution has wealth to run for 2 years without raising other capital, she added.

One attendee asked astir Johnson’s idiosyncratic modulation to CEO of a smaller task aft having headed concern improvement astatine Microsoft and moving 24 years astatine Qualcomm, opening arsenic an engineer. She took the helm astatine Magic Leap successful 2020 aft the institution had layoffs and began pivoting from a user focus. Her reply brought applause: “There are truthful fewer pistillate CEOs. It was precise meaningful for maine that I showed my daughter, you tin beryllium a CEO, and you tin beryllium a CEO successful a tech field.”