Canon MREAL Announced

Have you heard about the Canon MREAL system before? MREAL stands for Mixed Reality in short, and we have seen the company feature its augmented reality headset in the past before, but thankfully, an official announcement has finally been made. The Canon MREAL will feature an augmented reality system which allows designers to interact with computer-generated versions of their creations, which is a good idea, before the idea itself is willed into existence.

The Canon MREAL basically generates video of one’s surroundings, where this is made possible thanks to a pair of cameras that have been positioned in front of the wearer’s eyes. This will then be merged with computer-generated graphics in order to achieve the desired result. A couple of small monitors are there to help one “create high-impact, three-dimensional images.” Some of the potential target audiences for the product include automotive designers, manufacturers, university researchers and museum exhibit curators. Canon is working on opening up its SDK (Software Developer Kit) to developers as well, in an effort to increase the number of apps down the road. The Canon MREAL system will cost a whopping $125,000, with $25,000 in annual maintenance to boot.