Augmented Reality Pioneer meta Proclaims the End of the Flat Screen Era, Launches the World's First Full Augmented and Mediated Reality Glasses Device

NEW YORK, May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Friday, May 17th marks the end of the era of the flat screen device, according to meta, a young and highly progressive computer technology development start up recently accepted into the Y Combinator Summer 2013 cohort.  The company is launching the meta 1 Developer Kit, the world's first hardware/software package for full augmented and mediated reality, via online funding platform Kickstarter, precisely at noon (EST) on May 17th.

meta 1 creates a new paradigm of natural computation aimed at getting users away from their desks and engaging in the real world once again. The meta 1 Developer Kit allows 3D apps to be built in the real world with unprecedented potential for development in productivity, engineering, entertainment, gaming, design, architecture and more.

With meta 1, interfaces seen in films like Avatar and Minority Report become reality, allowing the virtual world and the real world to become one. Using a two-part wearable computer comprised of 3D glasses and a specialized camera enabling direct hand gestural control and surface tracking, the meta 1 allows users to manipulate 3D virtual objects and attach them to their real world environment using only their bare hands.

The two-part meta 1 Developers Kit available through Kickstarter for $750 is primed for developers to begin programming right away and features both hardware and software:  See-through stereoscopic glasses and a depth-tracking camera with snappy latency work with user-friendly SDK, example applications and a Unity 3D-based framework with gesture and tracking control.

meta 1's unique capabilities place it firmly as a leader in the field in contrast to other progressions in augmented reality. meta 1 is not just pop-ups in the corner of the user's eye, extending the functions of a mobile device, nor is it a shield that traps the user in a world of virtual reality. meta 1 is the marriage of the real world and computing

Success of meta's Kickstarter campaign will fund the completion of the SDK and the distribution of the already completed device. Apps developed in the initial phase will contribute to the direction of the consumer edition meta2 device, which will be a lightweight, beautiful pair of sporty glasses with all day functionality.

meta is a driven enterprise spun out of Columbia University, led by computer and neuroscientist Meron Gribetz in collaboration with AR guru, Columbia University Professor Steven Feiner.  Supported by some of the world's most respected researchers in augmented reality and endorsed by a number of industry leaders, meta is one of the most exciting technological developments of our time and is well on its way to revolutionizing the way we compute.

To be the first to get hacking with the meta 1 Developers Kit, and to check out our demo video, head to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/551975293/895655598?token=e8524f30

For further information or to arrange for an advance personal demo and interview with meta CEO and Founder Meron Gribetz and co-pilot Ben Sand, please contact:

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Sparkpr
  Eric Glaser:  415-302-8777 / [email protected] 
  Donna Austi: 917-837-7447 / [email protected]

meta
  Alison Wilkes:  347-331-7847 /  [email protected]

SOURCE meta