The Mira Prism is an affordable head-mounted augmented reality (AR) device that enables AR anywhere - no plugs, computers or wires are needed. Unlike VR, which is a totally immersive experience, AR layers digital content over the real world. Powered by a smartphone inserted into the headset, the Prism bridges the physical and digital world delivering a seamless, sharable experience. In addition to the product we crafted the brand positioning and visual identity, helping them realize their vision for an augmented reality world.

Mira came to us with a vision: make augmented reality accessible to everyone by designing a "visor-like" headset that would retail sub-$100. Powered using a smartphone, the Mira Prism is a sleek, wearable product that seamlessly integrates a phone as the engine and delivers a fully-immersive AR experience.

The Prism is unique compared to other headsets, such as the Samsung Gear VR and Google DayDream, in the sense that it doesn't block one's entire field of view. Because it's AR and not VR, multiple users can interact in a game and make eye contact throughout, all while still seeing the real world at full resolution around them. The headset design uses a combination of hard and soft materials for structure and comfort while the lenses are affixed with magnets for easy detachment and portability. The neoprene canopy can accommodate multiple phone models, eliminating the use of extra adaptors or wires. The Prism is the first of its kind, shifting the paradigm when it comes to AR accessibility.

Although the virtual reality (VR) market is growing, exceptional experiences remain expensive and isolating. But the rapidly defining AR market is the broader application for assisting people on many levels, without the commitment of existing VR solutions. The Mira Prism makes augmented reality attainable and enables interaction between people and their environments. While many AR systems require you to purchase high-cost equipment or have a full PC setup, the Prism is powered using your smartphone and through a simple app, loaded with a growing content offering. Our headset allows people to move freely, without being tethered or hardwired to a PC. This approach will allow users to activate AR virtually anywhere and interact with "holographic" like images overlaid on the real world.

Our design of the Prism benefitted the Mira team in a couple of ways. First off, wearing head-mounted technology has many challenges - both physical and social. We were able to reach a reasonable balance in the simplicity of the design, allowing Mira the opportunity to promote the content advantages and not focus on explaining an elaborate head-mounted device. The lens design allows for users to fully see their surroundings while the iconic lens shape is unique to the Mira Prism.

Secondly, the Prism is the inaugural product for the Mira team. Our design and manufacturing support allowed them to hit their target price point of $99 and make strides in popularizing AR experiences by making it more financially accessible. In a short amount of time they have established themselves as a category leader and continue to grow their business by expanding their product reach and content offering.

It's still too early to tell, but easily accessible AR devices will likely change how we interact, entertain, educate, troubleshoot, train and view the world. The accessibility of the Prism has the potential to bring AR into the home and the hands of many casual users, helping onboard them to this new content platform. One goal for AR is to provide a more immersive education experience for more people around the world, with the potential to further democratize access to education, entertainment & services. With our design help, Mira has been able to introduce the benefits of AR to people in a way that's not only technologically advanced but socially acceptable to wear.