Rokid and Imint team up to bring top video quality to AR

With a mission to leave no one behind, Rokid develops augmented reality (AR) devices, including smart glasses and helmets, that empower workers to benefit from the latest technology. Based in California and Hangzhou, the AR company serves customers including VW, Audi, a Fortune 500 steel company and a world leading semiconductor company in more than 40 countries in sectors as diverse as manufacturing, field service and exhibitions. Rokid entered into a strategic partnership with Imint Image Intelligence to redefine AR video quality and show the world what is possible with a combo of Rokid’s cutting-edge AR headband, X-Craft, and Imint’s leading video stabilization software, Vidhance.

Rokid X-Craft 1

The role of video stabilization in AR

Real-time collaboration and remote video reporting are two major use cases for Rokid’s AR devices that depend heavily on video stabilization. For instance, field service workers wearing AR glasses frequently move around while working on machinery, which creates vibrations. This shakiness can make it harder for the back-office staff viewing the wearer’s feed remotely to pick up on key details when guiding workers live or reviewing video after the fact.

“When customer demand for video stabilization became apparent, we performed an in-depth study of all the solutions available. Vidhance stood out to us because of its proven track record with many global smartphone industry leaders and a comprehensive SDK with ready-to-use integrations. Most of all, we appreciated Imint’s local presence across the globe so that our engineering teams could collaborate seamlessly from the same time zone,” says Liang Guan, General Manager at Rokid.

Fast implementation on new hardware platform

The first step of Rokid and Imint’s collaboration was to integrate Vidhance video stabilization into Rokid’s X-Craft, a 5G industrial explosion-proof AR headset for a new generation of super workers. X-Craft is specially designed for complex and high-risk environments such as oil & gas, electric power, aviation, rail transport, and many other industries. The implementation process was completed in less than 3 weeks, which was well aligned with Rokid’s track record of bringing innovations to market at a rapid pace.

“We have extensive experience integrating our video stabilization algorithms into various devices running on Qualcomm chips, but the Amlogic hardware platform used in Rokid’s products was new to us. Rokid’s close collaboration and support gave us confidence to take on this challenge and we are proud of how quickly and effectively it went. The X-Craft integration project proves that Vidhance is easily adaptable to new hardware and has great potential for the trending AR device market,” says Niclas Elvgren, Global manager Sales Engineering at Imint.

Video as an enabler for industry-specific apps

Today, Vidhance video stabilization serves as an important puzzle piece in Rokid’s increasingly powerful ecosystem for AR, which it is actively and rapidly innovating and developing. This opens the door to new industry applications and creates an effective platform for independent software vendors (ISVs), giving them robust hardware and stable video for apps like video conferencing.

“To reach its full potential, AR technology needs to be adaptable to different use cases as diverse as Manufacturing 4.0 and museums. That’s why we’re fully focused on creating a very easy-to-use platform combining hardware and software (SDK) to provide the best user experience in the market. We are pleased with the excellent video quality we are seeing from Vidhance in our products and excited about the value this adds for apps that rely on the inherent video capabilities of our platform,” says Huaqiang Shao, VP of Product at Rokid.

Conquering the XR space together

Looking ahead, Rokid has ambitious plans to release new features and products that will also use Vidhance. One key focus is advanced simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), a technology poised to take AR to the next level when it matures. High-quality and steady video can make it easier for the SLAM algorithms to accurately map the wearer’s surroundings, especially in low-light environments.

“We have embarked on a journey with Imint to create the best video experience in the extended reality (XR) space to support new technological breakthroughs, like SLAM. We look forward to integrating Vidhance video stabilization and other Vidhance video enhancement features into future products and collaborating with Imint on a broad front as part of our aim to be the leading interface with the metaverse of tomorrow,” says Chao Ma, Senior Algorithm Scientist at Rokid.

Learn more about Vidhance video stabilization

Already used widely by global smartphone leaders like Motorola, Xiaomi and OnePlus, Vidhance is increasingly breaking into the XR market. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Learn more about what this next-gen video stabilization will mean for smart glasses in our guide.

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