Apple Hires Former NASA AR/VR Expert to Work on Upcoming Products



Apple has recently hired Dr. Jeff Norris, the augmented and virtual reality specialist who founded the Mission Operations Innovation Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to work on upcoming AR products to be developed at the Cupertino-based company.

Bloomberg reported that Apple hired Norris earlier this year to work on a pair of new AR glasses and new related technologies that would be incorporated in a new iPhone.

Apparently, Norris has developed several AR/VR and robotics solutions while working for NASA, including a mixed reality system dubbed Project Sidekick, which uses Microsoft’s HoloLens to communicate with astronauts on the International Space Station.

He worked for NASA since 1999, founded the JPL Ops Lab for creating human-system interfaces for mission operations and has led projects that expanded virtual and augmented reality technologies.

Apple is working on a pair of new AR glasses

Apple has become increasingly focused on augmented and virtual reality technologies in the past few years and has made some strategic hires and segment purchases in the field of machine learning and computer vision. In addition, the company is working on transparent displays, iPhone-powered VR rigs, AR maps, and a number of related technologies that would expand user experience.

Apple’s AR glasses are said to be already in testing at the company’s development facilities in Cupertino, as a recent report revealed. While Apple won’t specifically say if such a project is currently in the works, some analysts say that it could arrive next year.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook even hinted at AR features coming to future iPhones, saying that iPhones aren’t limited to a certain demographic, country or vertical market and that “AR is that big, it’s huge.”

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Analysts say that Apple could feature its new AR technology on the iPhone 8 and equip the device with an innovative augmented camera with infrared projector and receiver. The AR features would allow users to take a picture and then change the depth of the entire image or the depth of specific objects.

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