SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — With the recent introduction of Apple’s latest MR headset, the Vision Pro, the market’s interest in the metaverse has been rekindled. MR, or Mixed Reality, is a term that combines both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), collectively referred to as XR (Extended Reality) in the industry. The core technology of XR is AR, which connects real world objects and spaces, along with 3D space reconstruction technology that is capable of crafting realistic virtual world. In South Korea, there is a company called MAXST (#377030) that has dedicated 13 years to developing core AR technology and 3D space reconstruction technology, in pursuit of creating a truly realistic XR metaverse. MAXST achieved a significant milestone by being listed on the KOSDAQ market as a technology-special-listed company in July 2021.
MAXST AR SDK 6.0, one of MAXST’s commercialized products, is an AR app development kit that enables developers to create and share AR experiences. To date, a total of over 8,500 AR apps have been developed across approximately 50 countries, widely applied to various fields such as education, entertainment, business, social, tourism, healthcare and more.
Such MAXST AR SDK 6.0 is set to be updated to MAXST AR SDK 6.1.0 on September 19, 2023. This update brings significant enhancements to the recognition performance of its trackers, providing a more immersive and realistic AR experience, as well as extended support for efficient development.
MAXST was recently invited to present a paper on 3D spatial recognition at the prestigious robotics conference, ‘ICRA 2023’ (International Conference on Robotics and Automation) in May. Recognized as a world-class AR development platform, MAXST’s AR SDK will receive updates to not only improve recognition performance, but also expand the range of recognizable targets on local devices. Such expansion is accomplished through modifications to the format of the training data in the Object Tracker, Object Fusion Tracker, and Space Tracker, making it possible to recognize 3D objects and spaces from greater distances compared to the previous version.
For AR gaming and education, this update delivers more accurate character and object recognition, resulting in a more realistic gaming experience. Additionally, it improves the recognition of multiple images and 3D models, enriching the learning experience. In the context of AR shopping, it will improve shopping experience by recognizing a wide range of products. In the tourism and cultural sector, it enriches the AR travel experience by recognizing various tourist destinations. Moreover, its application in industrial environments has seen substantial improvement.
MAXST AR SDK 6.1.0 also introduces a map packaging feature that aims to significantly expand the number of targets that can be loaded on an individual device. With this update, the capacity for loading 2D image targets has increased to 1,000, up from 50, while 3D object targets can now be loaded up to 25, up from 3. In addition, this update allows for the loading of up to 5 target spaces, enabling recognition and tracking of up to 5 spaces in a single application. The packaging feature, which increases the number of targets that can be loaded without the need for server access, can be implemented by downloading the packaging tool designed for Windows and macOS and integrating it into the existing MAXST AR SDK.
In addition to the MAXST AR SDK 6.1.0 update, two essential tools will be updated: the Visual SLAM – a 3D object map data creating tool, and MAXSCAN – a spatial map data creating tool. Map data generated by these apps will support faster loading through packaging features. Visual SLAM Tool can be downloaded for free from both the Google Play Store and the App Store, while MAXSCAN is available exclusively on the App Store.
Kyu-sung Cho, the CTO of MAXST, expressed his optimism of the AR application’s service area through this update. He stated, "Our commitment is to advance MAXST’s AR technology so that our customers can enjoy high-quality AR services in everyday life." He also added, "While the market holds various views on Apple’s Vision Pro headset, the XR industry will continue to grow alongside the development of hardware devices by global companies like Apple." He continued, "MAXST’s vision is to elevate the current AR core technology to the level of spatial computing, aligning our growth with devices such as Apple’s Vision pro."