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So I'll go ahead and let you do introduce yourself and your company. Good morning. Welcome to the show.

Yeah. Good morning. Thanks for having me here. My name is Maarten Tobias. Yes, I'm from the Netherlands. And I work for a company called Dimenco. And we have created a technology, it's called simulated reality. And it's typically a technology that you have to see to believe. So that's why I brought you a sample. It's actually an Acer laptop that integrated our technology.

Okay.

So shall I just give you a-

Yeah, absolutely.

Why do we?

So I don't know if we're going to be able to see this on the screen.

We can see it.

Yeah. So the effect will not be noticeable. So what we actually do, and that's why I'm going to turn it a bit to you.

Okay.

For you.

Sure. So I'll go ahead. Go ahead and tell me what. I'm looking at a 3D image of a villa or old villa.

Yeah. So probably you see a 3D image popping in front of you. Yeah. So what we actually can achieve is a 3D image without glasses. So where do you normally always have a head-mounted display?

Yeah.

To see the metaverse for example.

Yeah.

Or to create a 3D effect.

Yeah.

You'll do that actually with an optical layer in front of the display.

So when I move my head, this thing is moving.

Yeah. So because we don't only give you a 3D perspective, we change the perspective of what you see. So we track your eyes. And by tracking your eyes, we make sure that you have a left image on your left eye and a right image on your right eye. But while you're moving your hand, you're actually changing the perspective of what you see, like in the real world. Yeah. And that's actually what we do.

So if I use the mouse, can I get a top-down view? Can I rotate your image further?

Definitely, definitely. So this is just an example of a model, a 3D model. So we support like 95% of the 3D models, but you can show games, you can use it for a V read for like engineers, designers, creators.

So I'm going to tell the audience when I'm looking at it here, and this is something I've never seen without any other type of special glasses. This 3D model coming out of the damn screen. It's kind, it looks like it's like in front of me. Not dramatically, but it's crazy.

If you use two fingers, you can actually zoom in, zoom out, and you can get it more into your, let's say, pop it out more on the screen.

That my friend is wild. So what do you think then, is going to be the application on this?

So Acer is positioning this as a content creator, Designers, if you're an architect, you work in 3D modeling. It's a typical technology that you can use. We furthermore are targeting gaming. So the older games already have the 3D information.

Yeah. Yep.

And we just need to leverage that 3D information and show it on our display technology. So gaming is definitely the second target. And then video conferencing, you can imagine, especially with a pandemic, people are seeing more in front of the screens, but they want to have that real-life experience. That's actually what we make possible.

What has been the response to this so far? I don't think, you know, if I was wearing a virtual headset, I would expect something like this, but I'm not. So what has been the response from the public on this?

Yes. You know, it's I think it's great. So I think as you said that it's mesmerizing, you have to really see it and believe it.

You have to see it.

That's why I thought you know, let's bring a sample because otherwise, you could make a really nice story. And sadly enough, of course, your listeners are not able to see it. But I think that's really the strength of the product.

Chris, I'm sitting here scratching my chin, dude. It's, what you've got on the screen, it doesn't give this any cor-. It doesn't give any context. What I'm seeing because it, it's actually out in front. It doesn't look like it's sitting right there. I'm like, wow, I tripped out because it looks like it jumps out of the screen. And I know it's just the optical on what it's doing. It's, it's like I'm wearing a virtual headset.

Exactly. So you can imagine that, especially with the hygienic problems. A virtual headset is not always desirable, especially because you're socially, totally out, out of the scope of people surrounding you.

So how did you, so you using a two-camera? Obviously, you have to have two cameras on a laptop to do this. I'm assuming

Well, that two cameras we actually use to track your eyes.

Okay.

So, we need to make very sure where your eyes are and that we do that on. It's a metric system, but two millimeters accuracy. And then there's a special layer in front of the display and that special layer actually redirects the light. And by redirecting the light to your left eye and to your right eye, we make sure possible that you can see a 3D image.

Gotcha. So this is going to be gaming, architect.

Engineering. So if you are a CAD modeler or if you are an architect or you work in Building Information Management, if you want to visualize complex stuff, this is, this is a very easy way to visualize and understand 3D image information.

How did you do your first render of this particular image? Did you guys draw it? Or did you? What was the process to get the first image that you have here?

That's actually the cool thing. We can use any 3D object that's available. So you know, probably, you know, the this, an iPhone has a lidar camera.

Yeah.

I can make a scan and directly put it on the laptop. So we support 95% of all existing 3D formats. We don't have to do anything of it. We can also show you movies like Avatar, it has a 3D movie, you can show a 3D movie without glasses.

Well, this. Do you think this is going to go into television sets at some point?

So the downside is because we also change the perspective of what you see, it's only available for one person. So and most people watch TV as-

As a group. Yeah.

That's, that's difficult.

So the tracking.

The tracking and because, yeah, so that's for TV. That's more difficult. But you can think of laptops, mobile phones, tablets, monitors.

Yeah.

Were typically you have a one personal use device.

So how's?

You can use it in signage. Digital signage, all kinds of stuff.

Yeah. If you had digital signage so then there might be the ability through AI to detect multiple people, but you'd have to have multiple cameras to do it in digital signage.

You can also at that point detect what their actual emotional state is by looking at the image.

Exactly. Well, that's a good remark indeed, because we have a camera. We can understand a lot about the user. And emotional recognition is a key thing of that. So if you look at our concept of simulated reality, it's on the one end, it's the simulated reality that stands what we say, SR which is actually SR without wearables, right. And that's a combination, actually, of our display technology. But you can also mention interactivity. So when you have hand tracking, you can interact with the object, you have spatial sound and understanding the user like emotion recognition, heart rate recognition, which you can all do by a camera. And that totally immersive experience is what we call simulated reality.

Gotcha.

This can be used in therapy situations, all kinds of stuff, working on people's fears.

It's.

Yeah, that's a good point.

Because it doesn't come too far out of the screen, I would say that the visual feeling I had is that it was maybe out like that far, you know, in certain aspects of this.

Well, but if needed, I can put it on your nose. But that's not comfortable.

Ah, yeah, I think so. It's very, very cool. This is, this is very interesting. I just. What you guys come up here is really cool. Is this a first? Is anybody else doing this?

No, this is the first. So Acer is the first customer that brings us to market. And we hope to announce several other big IT companies in the coming months.

So you just basically have to run the software package on top of it in the correct hardware.

Yeah, so what we actually deliver is the optical stack, the hardware, and then our software platform.

Outstanding. What's this going to retail for and of course you have to buy the laptop? But what is your piece? What is where's your guyses model?

Yeah, so what in the end, Acer sells is as a total laptop. So that's fully integrated into the laptop. I think it goes for about $4,000 Right. So but it's also a very high-end laptop that has an RTX 3080.

Sure, sure.

So that's also a big part of the cost factor.

Yeah, so and so they actually deliver it with everything installed. So.

This is what they call a SpatialLabs Acer Laptop and you can buy it and that's how you get it.

Very very, very cool.

I see my next laptop purchase.

Well, And I. What were-

Yeah, and you haven't even seen that.

For AR VR, for AR VR creators things like that. I have friends that work in movies out there doing XR and stuff like that. So for them to be able to model what they're doing and actively see it like that without a VR headset.

The audience.

That's a game-changer.

You know, and I can't I can't stress this enough. You guys could see what he would have up on the screen but it did not don't even ignore that what you saw on the screen it's not it is not what you see here. So just so everyone's clear. I was pretty blown away that that could do that just wearing glasses, regular glasses, or regular eyeballs.

And the interesting part is that we actually are able to track your eyes with them with you know your headset, you had your mask, so you're covering quite a bit of your face and we're still able to track your face very well.

Yeah, It did. Well, who so where can people find more information about this?

You can go to www.dimenco.eu or www.simulatedreality.com and-

Simulatedreality.com. I think that's the easier one to remember.

Exactly. And more important by the way.

Yeah, simulatedreality.com. Thank you for coming out and show me this.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

You just. It's like three things in a row that have blown me away here today. And that's what I come to CES for is to be wowed. I don't have a person application for it. But there's some people out there said, Ah, like you, right? So your bill for that show just went to four grand so.

I hope my wife is not watching. Or if you are sweetie, sorry.

So, all right. Hey, thank you so much for thanks for having me. Yeah, thanks for showing this often. Very, very cool. simulatedreality.com

TPN CES 2022 coverage is executive produced by Michele Mendez. Technical Directors are Kurt Corless and Adam Barker. Associate producers are Nancy Ertz and Maurice McCoy. Interviews are edited by Jo Mini. Hosts are Marlo Anderson, Todd Cochrane, Scott Ertz, Christopher Jordan, Daniele Mendez, and Allante Sparks. Las Vegas studio provided by HC Productions. Remote studio provided by PLUGHITZ Productions. This has been Tech Podcasts Network Production, copyright 2022.