Hot off an infusion of cash from Google, augmented reality startup Magic Leap has snagged another high-powered partner.
Science-fiction writer and game designer Neal Stephenson (pictured) has agreed to join the Fort Lauderdale-based firm as "Chief Futurist."
Announcing his new title in a blog post, Stephenson said he was intrigued by Magic Leap—from what the company had already achieved ("I saw something on that optic table I had never seen before," he teased) to what it is capable of doing.
"Magic Leap is mustering an arsenal of techniques—some tried and true, others unbelievably advanced—to produce a synthesized light field that falls upon the retina in the same way as light reflected from real objects in your environment," Stephenson explained.
Known for novels like 1992's Snow Crash, the author and sci-fi fan is familiar with virtual reality and augmented reality—both technologies which he expected to be widespread by the end of the 20th century.
"In practice, it has taken longer than just about anyone expected to get that kind of tech consumer-ready," he said. "The devil has turned out to be in the details of satisfying the amazingly finicky human visual system."
The Facebook-owned Oculus VR has helped to reinvigorate public interest in virtual reality, thanks to its Rift headset (slideshow above). But augmented reality remains a mystery to most people—a detail Magic Leap hopes to change.
Founded in 2011, the secretive company in October earned $542 million in funding from tech giants like Google and Qualcomm. But details about its "Cinematic Reality" tech have yet to be revealed.
"I'm fascinated by the science, but not qualified to work on it," Stephenson admitted. "Where I hope I can be of use is in thinking about what to do with this tech once it is available to the general public. I took the job on the understanding that I would have the opportunity to get a few things done."
Exactly what those things are remains to be seen. Stephenson said only that Magic Leap is about more than games—it will also serve readers, learners, scientists, and artists.
For more, check out Making Virtual a Reality.