Find the instrument
Small vision models identify the instrument and the key features needed for spatial registration.
A VARLIS™ project
Real-time AI guidance for real technical work.
Project Parallax is VARLIS's AI-guided mixed-reality system for hands-busy procedures: recognise the real instrument, align a digital model, guide the next approved action, verify defined checks, and record the workflow outcome.
Mixed reality
Quest 3 prototype
Android XR / Aura
Prototype capture
The idea
Put on the glasses. Complete the procedure with expert guidance.
AI concept render
Glasses that recognise the equipment in front of the operator, overlay the next approved action, and verify defined physical checks before the workflow progresses. The operator stays in control; the approved procedure leads.
- Real-time, in-the-moment assistance - not training for later
- Extends expert guidance to where an expert isn't on site
- Proven first on analytical instruments; the idea is far broader
Already working
A live mixed-reality build on Quest 3 today.
The prototype already demonstrates the core loop: recognise the balance, align a 3D model to the real device, ask for hands, check glove state, prompt when a requirement is missing, and proceed only when the operator is ready.
AI concept render
Quest 3 prototype
See once, then track.
After registration, continuous vision is not the goal. The system knows where the instrument is and tracks hands relative to known geometry, invoking vision only for brief, specific checks.
- Balance recognition and model alignment
- Glove / PPE prompt and confirmation
- Spatial workflow guidance in the operator's view
- Next target: full calibration with step-level assessment
Architecture
See briefly, then track. Deterministic logic, separate AI layer.
The page is public-facing, but the architecture matters because technical buyers need to know where the safety boundary is. Parallax separates validated procedure logic from conversational assistance.
Align the model
A 3D representation is matched to the real object, with confirmation and fine-tuning available to the operator.
Verify each step
Procedure data defines the instruction, verification rule, and progression gate for each approved action.
Answer in context
A separate AI guidance layer can answer questions from approved content without changing the validated workflow path.
Platform & port
Built on Quest 3, aimed at optical see-through glasses.
The existing Unity prototype gives the project a practical base. The next step is an Android XR / XREAL Aura version tuned for optical see-through display, camera availability, and enterprise deployment constraints.
Unity, a port not a rebuild
The prototype is already Unity, a first-class Android XR route via OpenXR. The procedure engine, AR UI, model-alignment logic, and content approach carry across.
Provider, see-through, camera
The device-specific work is the Android XR provider swap, re-tuning overlays for optical see-through, and validating the brief camera-capture checks.
Pilot-ready enterprise app
The aim is a pilot-ready Android XR application for a validated workflow, delivered through enterprise or managed distribution.
Safety & compliance
Assistance, not control - and auditable.
For laboratories and regulated technical work, the line is deliberate: the software supports the user and records workflow events; it does not operate the instrument on the user's behalf.
The human always acts.
Parallax can tell the operator what comes next, point to the right physical area, and confirm that a defined condition appears to be satisfied. It does not press buttons, change parameters, or send commands to the instrument.
Auditable and private by design.
The intended record is a workflow event trail: what step was reached, what check passed, what prompt was shown. The default design avoids retaining continuous camera footage unless a customer policy requires otherwise.
The scope
Analytical instruments are the proving ground.
The first workflow is a balance calibration path because that is where the domain expertise and prototype are strongest. The same pattern extends to other work where a complex procedure must be completed correctly and an expert is not always on site.
Instrument setup, calibration, sample preparation, and compliance checks.
Guided installation, maintenance, and escalation support for approved service tasks.
Assembly and maintenance procedures checked in real time.
Future applications subject to domain validation, risk assessment, and appropriate partners.
Have a procedure that needs real-time guidance?
Project Parallax is being shaped toward pilot-ready Android XR deployment. The strongest first conversations are with instrument manufacturers, technical-training teams, and labs with high-cost procedural errors or scarce expert availability.