As extended reality (XR) moves past concept stage, it is not difficult to envision a scenario where real world blends perfectly with the technology-driven virtual world. Extended reality is an umbrella term that covers virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and everything in between. The power of extended reality can create user experiences where virtual reality is unrestricted and augmented reality is harmonizing virtual elements with the real world.

The reality of AR/VR growth

Businesses across various industry verticals are implementing these budding technologies, and it is estimated that AR/VR market will grow to $108 billion by the end of 2021, wherein AR is assumed to generate $83 billion and VR is supposed to raise $25 billion.

eInfochips is significantly contributing in this growing AR/VR market by developing products that make use of Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors.

With the release of Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Platform, we expect some noteworthy improvements in the extended reality experiences.

Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Platform

To make advances in the realm of XR, Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Platform is packed with the latest Qualcomm® Adreno 630 visual processing subsystem architecture. The Snapdragon™ 845 Platform provides cutting-edge performance by integrating functionalities like:

• Ultra HD premium capture of up to 16 MP at the speed of 60 images per second using Qualcomm Spectra™ 280 Image Signal Processor (ISP). It is designed to deliver cinema-like quality of videos and images with 62x more color information.
• Outstanding immersive experience with Qualcomm® Adreno™ 630 Visual Processing Subsystem that offers Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and Room-Scale 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF). Such extended reality experience will make use of advanced algorithms that empowers you to explore the surroundings freely in the virtual world without having to worry about bumping into walls and nearby objects.
• Life-like virtual world experience by developing Adreno Foveation that includes eye tracking, multi-view rendering, tile-based rendering, and fine grain preemption. It understands where the user’s eyes are looking and then enhances the graphics of that particular area by adding greater details.
• Combining the power of Spectra Structured Light camera module, the new Spectra architecture offers the capabilities of depth sensing, thereby capturing the depth changes as minor as 0.1 mm.
• Voice UI feature can bring always-listening feature to AR headsets and 3D audio feature can further immerse you in the virtual reality by letting you hear the sounds like you’d hear them in the real world.
• With 3rd Generation Qualcomm® Hexagon™ 685 Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform supports on-device AI processing, better camera, and voice for enhanced XR experience.
• To ensure better battery life, the platform includes Qualcomm® Kryo™ CPU built on ARM Cortex technology and Qualcomm Quick Charge™ 4+ technology. The Quick Charge 4+ technology can deliver up to 50% charge in only 15 minutes, so even the most power-consuming apps can run all day.
• There is a significant improvement in the CPU performance with 8 cores in the new Kyro 385 CPU. Considering the graphics front, there is a 30% increase in the new Adreno 630 GPU compared to its predecessors.

Industrial use cases of Extended Reality

• Industry and manufacturing can provide guided training and remote support, improve worker safety, and track factory activities in real-time.
• Healthcare organizations can offer better patient care, provide treatment assistance as well as allow surgical training and visualization.
• Retail industry can offer some interesting capabilities to its customers such as try before buy, for apparels. XR can also be used to create personalized promotional campaigns to engage and retain customers.
• Education sector can reap the benefits of extended reality to create an immersive and self-guided learning experience through virtual classrooms.