In October 2014, the world discovered the existence of Magic Leap, Inc., specialized in augmented reality start-ups, with the financial support of Google, which has not hesitated to inject $542 million in this mysterious project.

At the time, the founder and CEO Rony Abovitz of Magic Leap said, “when you see our technology, you will see what will be the computer in the next 30 or 40 years. Real magical experiences become possible, and our technology will unlock the creative spark that is in each of us.”

Now, in an article published in the MIT Technology Review, the realization of that promise–that Magic Leap AR technology can bring mythical edged-weapons into the real world–may be coming true.

So far what we know is that the technology will be different from the stereoscopic 3D commonly used in augmented reality and virtual reality devices.

“On the record [the Magic Leap team] avoid discussing how the technology works except in vague terms, citing concerns about competition,” said Rachel Metz, who wrote about Magic Leap for MIT Technology Review. “But it’s safe to say Magic Leap has a tiny projector that shines light onto a transparent lens, which deflects the light onto the retina. That pattern of light blends in so well with the light you’re receiving from the real world that to your visual cortex, artificial objects are nearly indistinguishable from actual objects.”

Magic Leap AR could compare to a sort of cross between Google Glass and the recently unveiled Microsoft’s HoloLens. Children and adults are on an equal footing in the world imagined by Leap Magic: the supermarket, while parents are shopping, children can have fun playing with imaginary creatures on the shelves. At home, the walls and tables bec0me platforms for information that users can interact with to access other content.

“Magic Leap had to come up with an alternative to stereoscopic 3-D–something that doesn’t disrupt the way you normally see things,” Metz added. “As I see crisply rendered images of monsters, robots, and cadaver heads in Magic Leap’s offices, I can envision someday having a video chat with faraway family members who look as if they’re actually sitting in my living room while, on their end, I appear to be sitting in theirs. Or walking around New York City with a virtual tour guide, the sides of buildings overlaid with images that reveal how the structures looked in the past.”

Series of patents reveal more details

A number of patents filed in the United States allowed SiliconAngle to discover more about augmented reality made in Magic Leap. The latter would be accessible via a relatively lightweight helmet, like a pair of 3D glasses. The patent filed by Magic Leap also reveals gesture recognition to access various features.

The interaction with the machine would be very natural, such as a finger-pinching gesture to select/grab and copy/move text. Or by spreading the fingers or hands, it is possible to display options or take a picture of the framework created by the gesture.

Most applications among those referred to in the patents is certainly interesting, but it’s all stuff that we had already imagined, ranging from the home theater controllable with the simple imposition of hands to the keyboard projected in midair like Minority Report, via something more original like the Tour de France Virtual while you exercise on the exercise bike.

Curiously, in the patents referenced just a “tactile glove”, which when worn should allow interaction with the menus and images displayed. It is not given to know if and when the project will come to materialize in the form of a real device intended for the market. The premises are still very interesting and potentially revolutionary.

Image credit: Magic Leap, Inc.