Atheer Labs has developed a wearable 3-D interface that responds to voice commands and gestures. The startup based in California has been preparing glasses that overlay the internet in 3-D on the world. Basically, users will be able to touch and move objects instead of just viewing them like on Google Glass. The Atheer visor projects a display in front of the wearer, allows augmented reality applications, and overlays data on items or locations in the field of view. Whereas Google Glass is only available in eyewear, the founder and CEO of Atheer, Soulaiman Itani, said that they plan to roll out their platform in various forms: including glasses, smart watches, and other gadgets.

According to Engineering on the Edge, the startup unveiled the concept at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference at the end of May, but has since made projections for when its technology will be available to the public. MIT Technology Review wrote that Atheer hopes to introduce the software sometime next year, estimating that a stand-alone headset would cost between $500-$600 whereas a device that connects to a smartphone would cost $200-$300.

There are several demo apps available to test the prototype: wearers can pop digital “bubbles” that float in the field of view or slice and chop fruit with their fingers, all presented in 3-D. Furthermore, users are able to turn a levitating cube and flip through a seemingly flat newspaper with embedded 3-D images and videos. Engineering on the Edge quoted Itani on the advantages of an interactive interface, saying, ““Our mobile 3D platform fundamentally alters the way people access information on the go, adding a natural interface that can be controlled with natural gestures and motions. The possibilities and advantages of adding an interactive digital layer to the existing physical world are endless, and this is the future of not only technology, but the human experience.”

Although the break-through technology seems promising, the device and software are, according to Engadget, “very much in the prototype stage” and not exactly in a form “ready for retail shelves.” Also, Rachel Metz from MIT Technology Review said (recalling her experience using the device) that “It was neat when it worked, but I often found it tricky to manipulate and press the virtual objects because the sensor and cameras seemed to have difficulty detecting my gestures if my fingers weren’t positioned at the right angle.”

Nonetheless, CEO Itani remains optimistic about the software’s success, enthusiastically envisioning a future (in a couple of years) where users can leave notes hanging around in the air for their friends:

“In a few years you will be able to go to a restaurant, leave a note in the middle of the air for your friend, and they come and they can see it. You can have movies and entertainment that surrounds you, and you can look around.”