Standard of Excellence: Speed vs. Quality in Customer Service
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Revamp Your Components with BGA Reballing
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Balancing Speed and Flexibility Without Sacrificing Control
Flex Launches AR Reference Design for Next-Gen Smart Glasses
January 19, 2018 | FlexEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
Flex has introduced an augmented reality (AR) reference design to reduce time to market for companies making AR devices for enterprise and consumer applications.
The Flex AR reference design is a complete product specification, including a head-mounted display (HMD), an external processing unit (EPU) and a gesture-based software platform to manage interaction. By customizing the rugged, stable and high-quality Flex AR reference design versus developing their own AR hardware, companies can significantly reduce product development costs and quickly scale manufacturing.
The Flex AR platform incorporates cutting edge technology from partners including the Snapdragon 835 mobile platform from Qualcomm, designed to deliver full-color, 1080p augmented reality experiences. The Snapdragon 835 draws 25 percent less power than previous models, using an advanced 10-nanometer design. Atheer Inc., a leading provider of AR solutions, supplies the AR interaction module and enterprise software support.
Total spending on AR/VR products and services is expected to soar from $11.4 billion in 2017 to nearly $215 billion in 2021, according to research firm IDC. AR headsets are on track to account for over $30 billion in revenue by 2021, almost twice that of VR hardware. The fastest-growing area within the AR market is for HMDs in industrial applications, particularly in the fields of healthcare, logistics, manufacturing and other industries that deploy field technicians. AR innovation in these areas can help surgeons perform complex procedures with remote assistance, warehouse workers fulfill orders faster, and field technicians conduct remote repairs.
"Augmented reality holds tremendous promise for companies of all sizes," said Mike Dennison, president of the Consumer Technologies Group at Flex. "Until now, AR innovators have been challenged by the high costs and cross-disciplinary expertise required to design and build robust solutions. The new Flex AR reference design solves these challenges with a customizable hardware and software platform that innovators can build upon to quickly make an impact in this exciting field."
The Flex AR platform was designed to meet the rigorous demands of enterprise and industrial users. The device is Z87 safety rated, splash proof and dust proof and designed to survive drops from two meters. The peripheral vision is open, which allows users to have a better field of view. The device can also be controlled by gesture, voice and wearables using a Bluetooth connection. In addition, the EPU is designed to power the system throughout the workday, and it can be charged by plugging into a power adaptor or by swapping out the rechargeable battery.
"Augmented reality with Head Mounted Displays offers many potential benefits for enterprises. Flex’s investment in their reference design helps the technology to scale by removing a barrier to entry for OEMs looking to bring a product to market," said Hugo Swart, Senior Director, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. "By utilizing the Snapdragon 835 VR Platform, this offers potential customers the right balance between performance, power and size for AR, and we look forward to seeing OEMs take advantage of Flex’s reference design."
"We know the challenge of designing a cutting-edge platform that can be mass produced," Soulaiman Itani, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Atheer. "Through our work with Flex, we’ve seen their capabilities, and we're pleased to help provide a UI system that supports gestures, voice, head motion and Bluetooth wearables for hands-free operation. We are looking forward to Flex enterprise customers being able to experience the out-of-the-box Augmented Reality tools in Atheer's AiR Enterprise productivity solution for augmented reality."
The Flex AR platform will ship with a 30-day trial of Atheer AiR Enterprise, so customers can immediately start writing workflow guidance for their needs. Flex will provide a full software development kit (SDK) to customers who are building on Android Nougat.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Driving Innovation: Mechanical and Optical Processes During Rigid-flex Production
10/28/2025 | Kurt Palmer -- Column: Driving InnovationRigid-flex printed circuit boards are a highly effective solution for placing complex circuitry in tight, three-dimensional spaces. They are now indispensable across a range of industries, from medical devices and aerospace to advanced consumer electronics, helping designers make the most efficient use of available space. However, their unique construction—combining rigid and flexible materials—presents a fundamental challenge for PCB manufacturers.
Elkem Launches Biocompatible, Conductive SILBIONE LSR for Advanced Medical Devices
10/23/2025 | PRNewswireElkem ASA, a global leader in advanced silicon-based materials, unveiled SILBIONE LSR Select EC 70, a next-generation medical-grade liquid silicone rubber. Designed for wearable and diagnostic devices, the material combines high electrical conductivity, certified biocompatibility1, and enhanced process control, setting a new standard for precision healthcare applications.
Flex Sites in Brazil and Mexico Recognized as Manufacturing Leaders by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence
10/21/2025 | PRNewswireFlex announced that its sites in Manaus, Brazil, and our plastics operations in Guadalajara, Mexico, each received an Excellence Award from the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), demonstrating global leadership in continuous improvement and operational excellence.
OE-A Business Climate Survey: Solid Growth for the Flexible and Printed Electronics Industry
10/21/2025 | OE-AFor 2026 the industry has more positive expectations, with a sales forecast of +14 percent, which has even increased slightly compared to the beginning of the year. Further encouraging signs include improved employment prospects. 30 percent of companies plan to increase their workforce in the coming months — up from 10 percent in February.
FCT Leverages Flex Design and Total Build Solutions to Drive Innovation
10/22/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineWhat’s hot in flexible circuits right now? At PCB West, I spoke with Ben Savage, business development manager at Flexible Circuit Technologies (FCT), about their flex design services and end-markets where FCT sees the most flex activity. We also discussed the company’s focus on providing supply chain resiliency, as well as the constant search for new flex engineers. If you’re looking for a new opportunity in flexible circuits, FCT is hiring.