Startup company Magic Leap introduces augmented-reality glasses

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Augmented-reality glasses were revealed by startup company Magic Leap on Wednesday after six years of development and $1.9 billion invested.

The secretive Florida-based company, whose investors include Google and Alibaba, offered few details, but the online product rollout demonstrated that the glasses, which integrate computer graphics into real world views, exist. Magic Leap said sales will begin sometime in 2018 but did not mention a price. Sources close to the company have mentioned they may cost $1,000 to $1,500 per unit.

The "Creator Edition" demonstrated involves a pair of goggles with six cameras installed, a hip pack carrying the computing power and a hand-held controller to navigate Internet menus and multiple virtual monitors, and view the world through web browsing, teleconferencing presence and other virtual reality features.

"Our lightfield photonics generate digital light at different depths and blend seamlessly with natural light to produce lifelike digital objects that coexist in the real world," Magic Leap said on Wednesday.

The company said it expects entertainment and gaming applications for its invention. Business Insider said on Wednesday that the device could be a base for software developers.