Apple’s AR ambitions are a well-known secret at this point, with CEO Tim Cook frequently talking about his enthusiasm for the technology. Unfortunately, little is known about what exactly the brand is planning. One persistent rumor that’s been dogging the company for quite a while now is a pair of AR-powered smart glasses.
Fresh proof of these AR glasses has now emerged in the form of a leaked incident report compiled by Apple’s Environment Health and Safety contractor. The document was accidentally sent to hundreds of Apple employees and obtained by Gizmodo.
The report contains brief descriptions of over 70 minor to major injuries which occurred on the Apple campus. One of the more interesting ones occurred on February 21 when an employee required ‘medical treatment beyond first aid’ after testing out a mysterious prototype.
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She apparently experienced discomfort in her eye and told the study lead that she able to see the laser flash at multiple points during the experiment. The study lead then referred her to an optometrist and secured the prototype unit for analysis.
A separate incident involving another employee saw that worker experiencing eye pain after working with a new prototype. The security seal on the magenta-colored outer case had apparently been broken, leading him to believe that the unit might have been tampered with.
A source inside Apple speculates that this injury could have some relation to the AR products the company is testing, perhaps a pair of smart glasses with an overhead display. It’s also possible that the studies were related to other eye-related tech like the iPhone 8’s iris scanner or 3D facial recognition abilities.