Samsung Electronics held the 'XR Unlocked' event for developers at the Google campus in New York on Dec. 12 (local time) with Google and Qualcomm, announcing on Dec. 13 that it will launch the 'Android XR' platform and the first device to run it, 'Project Moohan,' next year.
XR (extended reality) is a technology that provides new experiences by allowing users to navigate between the real world and virtual environments using various senses, including sight, sound, and movement. It is expected to significantly change daily life across various sectors, including work, learning, entertainment, gaming, and healthcare, surpassing physical limitations.
The 'Android XR' unveiled that day is a platform co-developed by Samsung Electronics, Google, and Qualcomm through open collaboration. It supports user interaction with external and virtual realities through various senses based on multimodal AI. It is particularly expected to play the role of an AI agent that can explore new information through natural conversational methods via Google Gemini and provide tailored responses based on understanding user context and situations.
Android XR has strengthened scalability through open collaboration with existing Android, Open XR, virtual reality (VR), and mobile augmented reality (AR) communities. Based on this, it plans to expand the platform's size by securing not only Samsung Electronics and Google but also various third-party apps and service content.
It is characterized by universality, which can be applied to various form factors, including headsets and glasses, and it is expected to support multiple types of devices that meet various situations and purposes where XR can be utilized.
The codename 'Project Moohan' will be the first headset to apply Android XR, scheduled for release in 2025. The name Moohan signifies the intention to provide immersive experiences in spaces that transcend physical limitations.
Choi Won-jun, vice president and head of development at Samsung Electronics MX division, spoke at the event, saying, "XR will open up a completely new dimension of interaction with technology without physical constraints by navigating between the surrounding reality and the virtual world," and noted, "The combination of cutting-edge XR technology and multimodal AI that understands usage context creates the perfect conditions for innovation in new form factors."
He emphasized, "There is outstanding scalability in the Android XR platform, along with strengths that can be applied to various form factors," and said, "Based on an ever-expanding ecosystem and a wide range of content, we will provide users with an enriched experience."
Kim Gi-hwan, vice president of the immersive solutions development team at Samsung Electronics, also took the stage as a speaker to introduce three core values of the Android XR platform.
Vice President Kim stated, "We focused on three core values to build a platform that brings meaningful changes to daily life," and added, "We aimed to realize a platform that enables immersive viewing experiences through limitless visual content and natural interactions using audiovisual and movement, in collaboration with existing Android, Open XR, VR, and mobile AR communities."
He also emphasized, "The first device to be introduced for the Android XR platform will be the 'Project Moohan' headset," noting, "It is designed with the most comfortable and ergonomic design to provide unparalleled experiences through cutting-edge technology."
Sameer Samat, president of Google's Android ecosystem sector, also served as the keynote speaker, introducing the XR vision at the beginning of the event, while Shahram Izadi, vice president of Google's AR division, presented on headset and glasses development and future plans.
Ziad Asghar, senior vice president of Qualcomm's XR and spatial computing, also took the stage and explained that 'Snapdragon XR2 Plus 2nd Generation' was developed for 'Project Moohan.' Additionally, partners like Google's game engine 'Unity' and immersive digital and interactive content studio 'Ninjas' also made speeches urging developers to engage in expanding and advancing the XR ecosystem.