Motorola has been collaborating with Verizon to create a 5G XR neckband designed to deliver high bandwidth, ultra-low latency connectivity to AR and VR headsets and also provide them with power. With this innovation, makers of AR and VR headsets can shift some of the components built-in to the glasses to the device around your neck, making the load lighter.
Motorola doesn’t make it very clear in its announcement what role a smartphone will play when you couple this neckband with a headset but it did say that the plug & play device provides 5G connectivity and is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform. It said that it designed the neckband to advance AR/VR solutions to be untethered and hands-free.
Commenting on the product, Brian Mecum, Vice President of Device Technology at Verizon, said:
“Motorola’s wearable neckband and ultra-lightweight AR smart glasses leverage Verizon"s 5G Ultra Wideband network and mobile edge compute platform, enabling us to deliver immersive technology in many fields, such as sports training and fan experiences, as well as making VR theaters scalable.”
The companies did not say how much the neckband would cost nor where it would be sold. Motorola said that the firms are now working on AR and VR applications and will be showing them off in the coming months.