During a packed CES 2014 schedule, CEO of Avegant, Edward Tang and COO Yobie Benjamin take some time to talk to Paul James about Avegant’s history and how the Glyph HMD came to be.
Calm Before the Kickstarter Storm
Ed Tang wasn’t ready to talk Kickstarter details when we met. Other than the start date, either they simply hadn’t decided or wanted the campaign details to remain a surprise. In either case, I wonder if the team imagined how quickly the crowd funding campaign would reach and pass their goal only hours after launching.
Probably not, but after spending some time with them, it’s hard not to sense their confidence. Dr. Allen Evans, Avegant CTO and inventor of the display and optical assembly they’re calling “Virtual Retinal Display”, along with CEO Ed Tang to jack in their jobs and throw themselves headlong into making their idea of a portable device capable of HD, Stereoscopic 3D video a reality. Whether or not the tech fits the previous definition of ‘VRD’ is up for debate, what’s not is that the display looks great in use.
Aside from their current focus on personal entertainment with the Glyph, they also share their experiences and thoughts on how their technology might be used in other areas outside this realm – including a surprising story demonstrating the unit’s unique display.
As of writing, the Avegant Glyph Kickstarter has climbed to almost $750,000 with 24 days still left to run. This means 100s of lucky people will be receiving the next revision (termed ‘Kickstarter beta’) of the Glyph this Fall.
We’re grateful to Ed and Yobie for making time to speak to us, and we’ll continue to chart that Kickstarter total as it continues to grow. Enjoy the video.