Atheer AiR
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| Atheer AiR | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented Reality |
| Type | Smart glasses |
| Manufacturer | Atheer |
| Price | $3,950 (reported June 2016)[1] |
| Website | Archived product page |
| System | |
| Operating System | AiR OS (Android-based)[2] |
| CPU | NVIDIA Tegra K1: quad-core ARM CPU and Kepler GPU[3] |
| Storage | |
| Storage | Up to 128 GB flash storage[4] |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM[3] |
| Display | |
| Display | Dual 720p (1280 x 720), 60 fps; 50-degree field of view (announced specifications)[4] |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 9-axis IMU[3] |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HDMI out[3] |
| Power | Built-in 3100 mAh lithium-ion battery and extensible battery pack (announced)[4] |
Atheer AiR is a pair of see-through AR glasses from Atheer for hands-on work. It uses Android-based AiR OS.[2]
Introduction
Atheer unveiled the AiR Glasses and AiR Enterprise Suite on 19 November 2015.[4]
Features
Atheer targeted doctors, technicians and field engineers with work instructions, image annotations and remote video assistance.[4] The 2016 product page advertised gesture, voice-command and head-motion interaction.[3]
Hardware
The January 2016 platform illustration shows a cable between the glasses and a separate computing unit, labeled with an NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor. The glasses' illustrated components include dual RGB cameras, a directional microphone and an adjustable headband.[2]
Technical Specifications
These are manufacturer figures. The 2015 announcement lists a 60 fps display specification.[4] The July 2016 product page specifies 60 Hz but does not identify the axis of its 50-degree field of view.[3]
| Component | Documented specification |
|---|---|
| Display | Dual 720p (1280 x 720); 60 Hz; 50-degree field of view[3] |
| CPU | NVIDIA Tegra K1: quad-core ARM CPU and Kepler GPU[3] |
| RAM | 2 GB[3] |
| Storage | Up to 128 GB flash storage[4] |
| Battery | Built-in 3100 mAh lithium-ion battery; extensible battery pack[4] |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.1; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; USB-C; HDMI out; optional 4G/LTE and GPS module[3] |
| Sensors | ToF depth camera for gesture control; two 4 MP RGB cameras with 720p 60 fps video; 9-axis IMU (accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer)[3] |
Software
| Application | Role in the 2015 suite |
|---|---|
| AiR Hub | Cloud console for remote video, photo, text and annotation guidance, user/device management and enterprise-system integration.[4] |
| AiR Designer | Drag-and-drop authoring of procedures, checklists and task flows.[4] |
| AiR Flow | Customizable glasses application for following task flows, collaborating with Hub users and documenting work with photos or video.[4] |
AiR Suite was also supplied for other manufacturers' glasses. On 30 December 2015, Vuzix announced it for the Vuzix M100, including remote guidance and task-flow authoring. That software partnership concerned a different physical headset.[5]
Apps
Atheer advertised compatibility with more than one million Android apps. This was the manufacturer's platform claim, rather than a published application-by-application compatibility test.[2]
Developer
The AiR SDK was built on Android APIs to let developers use the glasses' interaction and sensor data. Atheer's platform page archived in January 2016 also named Vuforia and the Unity 3D engine as supported toolkits. This describes the documented development environment of that period.[2]
Accessories
The January 2016 manufacturer diagram labels the external battery "Hot swappable battery". Separately, the July 2016 product page advertised eight hours of battery life without stating a workload or test procedure.[2][3] The November 2015 reservation offer was reported to include six months of Enterprise Suite access and the AiR SDK.[6]
Background
AiR stands for "Augmented interactive Reality". Atheer's 2015 announcement identified Mountain View, California and named investors Bobby Yazdani, co-founder of Saba Software, and Farzad Naimi, co-founder and managing partner of RONA Holdings.[4]
History
The earlier Indiegogo campaign preceded these enterprise glasses. In a March 2014 interview, Atheer described a developer kit with a Snapdragon-based computing unit and a separate proposed consumer model, Atheer One, connected to an Android phone.[7]
Reservations for the Tegra-based AiR Glasses opened in November 2015. Ken Yeung reported a first-quarter 2016 shipping forecast and quoted CEO Alberto Torres saying pricing had not yet been released. A June 2016 market report subsequently listed Atheer AiR at $3,950. The forecast establishes an intended shipping period, rather than a confirmed first delivery date.[6][1]
Research
In 2019, Del Rio Guerra and colleagues studied eight gestures using Atheer, Leap Motion and Oculus Rift DK2 equipment. Their device-to-task table assigns Tap (moving a character with a virtual button) and Swipe (moving a ball with two fingers) to Atheer. Stop and Pinch used Leap Motion; the four other tasks used Oculus Rift with Leap Motion.[8]
Twenty-four participants with Down syndrome performed the AR tasks and 23 completed the VR tasks; the comparison group contained 25 neurotypical university students. Two earlier pilot participants were excluded. The researchers measured completion time and successful attempts, with demonstrations from a moderator and audible task feedback. They reported difficulty with Swipe.[8]
The Down syndrome group already had basic computer and smartphone experience. The authors recommended testing each environment independently and repeating the work with users unfamiliar with technology. Different gestures and tasks ran on different devices, so the results do not constitute a controlled ranking of headset tracking performance.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deborah Weinswig (2016-06-21). "The Wearables Report 2016: Reviewing a Fast-Changing Market". Fung Global Retail & Technology. pp. 12. https://www.deborahweinswig.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/The-Wearables-Report-2016-by-FBIC-Global-Retail-and-Technology-June-21-2016.pdf. Retrieved 2026-10-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Atheer AiR Platform". Atheer. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20160131101802/http://atheerair.com/platform/. Retrieved 2026-10-16.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 "AiR Glasses". Atheer. Archived from the original on 2016-07-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20160723172827/http://www.atheerair.com/air-glasses. Retrieved 2026-10-16.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 "Augmented Reality Leader Atheer Unveils AiR™ Glasses and AiR™ Enterprise Suite to Transform the Way Deskless Professionals Work and Collaborate". PR Newswire. Atheer. 2015-11-19. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/augmented-reality-leader-atheer-unveils-air-glasses-and-air-enterprise-suite-to-transform-the-way-deskless-professionals-work-and-collaborate-300182246.html. Retrieved 2026-10-16.
- ↑ "Vuzix adds Atheer AiR™ Suite for Remote Expert Collaboration and Rapid Task Flow Deployment to its Growing Ecosystem of M100 Smart Glasses Applications". PR Newswire. Vuzix Corporation. 2015-12-30. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vuzix-adds-atheer-air-suite-for-remote-expert-collaboration-and-rapid-task-flow-deployment-to-its-growing-ecosystem-of-m100-smart-glasses-applications-300197849.html. Retrieved 2026-10-16.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ken Yeung (2015-11-19). "You can now reserve Atheer's high-end augmented reality glasses for the workplace". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/19/you-can-now-reserve-atheers-high-end-augmented-reality-glasses-for-the-workplace/. Retrieved 2026-10-16.
- ↑ Brian Hart (2014-03-25). "Atheer Labs Exceeds Indiegogo Goal by Over 200%, Prepares to Launch AR Glasses". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/atheer-labs-exceeds-indiegogo-goal-200-prepares-launch-ar-glasses/. Retrieved 2026-10-16.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Marta Sylvia Del Rio Guerra; Jorge Martin-Gutierrez; Renata Acevedo; Sofía Salinas (2019). "Hand Gestures in Virtual and Augmented 3D Environments for Down Syndrome Users". Applied Sciences 9 (13): 2641. doi:10.3390/app9132641. Retrieved 2026-10-16.