Samsung AR headset patent indicates design, purpose, and use cases

Samsung has filed a new patent for what appears to be an Augmented Reality (AR) headset. The Samsung AR headset patent hints at the design, purpose, and even use cases of the wearable device.

Samsung files patent with the WIPO revealing the design of its AR headset

Nearly every tech giant has launched or announced Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), or MR (Mixed Reality) glasses. Be it Apple’s Vision Pro or Meta’s Quest series, multiple tech companies are actively exploring this segment for productivity, gaming, and remote collaboration.

Samsung has been reportedly trying to enter the emerging AR glasses market for quite some time. It had recently filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The South Korean tech giant has now reportedly filed another patent with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This patent too, points to an advanced AR headset or Head-Mounted Display (HMD).

Last year, Samsung announced it is working with Google and Qualcomm on AR devices. Now, 91Mobiles has discovered the design schematics and description of the headset. Samsung insists on calling the mystery device an HMD.

What does the WIPO patent reveal about Samsung’s headset?

Samsung’s latest patent filing says, “the electronic device may be AR glasses and/or a head-mounted device.” It adds the device won’t obscure real-world objects. In other words, Samsung could be designing AR glasses that overlay virtual content similar to Apple’s Vision Pro.

The patent states that the device uses reference points in the virtual space relative to the real-world space for navigation and operation. Users can interact with these virtual images by touching or selecting them.

Instead of separating the processing unit (mobile computer) from the lenses, Samsung’s HMD appears to be clubbing everything. In other words, a single device would have a processor, memory (RAM, SSD ROM, cache), sensors (including camera), and the rest of the hardware. Needless to say, this could make Samsung’s AR headset bulky.

There’s no indication of a battery pack in the patent. Moreover, it does not reveal if Samsung will tether the AR headset to another device. Previous reports have suggested Samsung intends to connect its AR headset with Galaxy smartphones and other wearable devices. Hence, there could be a wired or wireless connection that isn’t visible in the patent documents.

Samsung doesn’t have any dedicated operating system to run on AR headsets. The design of the AR glasses indicates Samsung may develop an OS specifically for the HMD similar to Apple’s VisionOS or Meta’s Horizon OS.

Samsung does have an entire ecosystem of accessories such as the Galaxy Ring and TWS earbuds, which could offer additional functions and sensors. The patent mentions the HMD has dynamic virtual world mapping. This hints at Samsung’s other wearable devices playing a crucial role in syncing the real and virtual world.