ARON stands for “augmented reality optical narrowcasting” and it’s able to transmit any type of digital file format, including high-definition video and images, up to 400 meters during the day and 1,200 meters at night. The data travels on square beams of infrared light, creating a secure connection between the device — whether a smartphone, car, computer or wearable — and the sensor in the real world.

Ditching Wi-Fi and data creates a secure connection, but it would also come in handy wherever internet connectivity is weak or nonexistent, and in the face of natural disasters, which typically wipe out Wi-Fi. SureFire imagines a few happy scenarios where ARON could be handy, too: It would allow visitors to see information about stores or restaurants while walking around a foreign city (typically without a data plan). Or, baseball players could wear sensors allowing fans with smartphones or AR glasses in the stadium to see their stats, superimposed directly over their bodies as they run around the field.

ARON isn’t something that can be rolled out on a massive scale overnight. It would require sensors on buildings, athletes, highways, cars and anything else that needs to transmit data. Plus, smartphones and other devices would need the proper receiver. Right now, ARON exists in a limited demo form.

Dr. Narkis Shatz, one of the inventors behind ARON, said one thing needs to happen for this ecosystem to take off: A major provider of electronic communication (think Verizon, Comcast or AT&T) has to invest in it. SureFire revealed ARON at CES and the company is in Las Vegas for the week, showcasing the technology at the IEEE booth, hoping to lure big-name investors.

ARON stands for “augmented reality optical narrowcasting.” SureFire says that the technology is based on Alexander Graham Bell’s invention Photophone. ARON is a type of wireless data transfer system that makes use of infrared light and optical beacons. It has a range of up to 400 meters during the day and 1,200 meters in the night.

The product’s web page states that ARON establishes the range, data-rate, and miniaturization like never before. It also offers unprecedented power, freedom, and flexibility. It also allows users to access an AR view of the surroundings and fetch information from it.

With the help of ARON, one can transmit any type of digital information. It can be easily installed in a phone or vehicle, and data transfer can be done without any cost. With the help of local beacons, IR light could turn out to be an alternative to radio frequency and make communication easier in high-traffic places.

Apart from being free, this technology could turn out to be useful in the areas with limited internet connectivity. It can also be used to establish a communication channel in times of natural disaster that can wipe out the existing communication networks.

What is it?
Surefire’s ARON (Augmented Reality Optical Narrowcasting) is a form of wireless data transmission involving beams of light. It transmts information via infrared light and optical beacons, at ranges up to 2,000 meters. The information is received by a beacon in a phone (the company’s literature also shows Google Glass-like AR devices using it) and turned into an AR view of the world around you.

Why does it matter?
ARON isn’t reliant on Wi-Fi or cellular data, is private, and can operate on solar power. It operates much like bluetooth beacons, only via infrared rather than radio frequencies. It can be used in places where Wi-Fi is untenable or nonexistent — or in high-traffic places like CES itself.

Surefire shows how ARON can be used in conjunction with local beacons to show data on nearby environments in AR without cellular data. For example, when you’re walking down the street, you can learn information about your surroundings via an augmented view on your phone’s camera.

When is it coming?
Surefire will show off ARON for the first time at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. For more information, check the company’s website here.

ARON stands for “augmented reality optical narrowcasting” and it’s able to transmit any type of digital file format, including high-definition video and images, up to 400 meters during the day and 1,200 meters at night. The data travels on square beams of infrared light, creating a secure connection between the device — whether a smartphone, car, computer or wearable — and the sensor in the real world.

Ditching Wi-Fi and data creates a secure connection, but it would also come in handy wherever internet connectivity is weak or nonexistent, and in the face of natural disasters, which typically wipe out Wi-Fi. SureFire imagines a few happy scenarios where ARON could be handy, too: It would allow visitors to see information about stores or restaurants while walking around a foreign city (typically without a data plan). Or, baseball players could wear sensors allowing fans with smartphones or AR glasses in the stadium to see their stats, superimposed directly over their bodies as they run around the field.

ARON isn’t something that can be rolled out on a massive scale overnight. It would require sensors on buildings, athletes, highways, cars and anything else that needs to transmit data. Plus, smartphones and other devices would need the proper receiver. Right now, ARON exists in a limited demo form.

Dr. Narkis Shatz, one of the inventors behind ARON, said one thing needs to happen for this ecosystem to take off: A major provider of electronic communication (think Verizon, Comcast or AT&T) has to invest in it. SureFire revealed ARON at CES and the company is in Las Vegas for the week, showcasing the technology at the IEEE booth, hoping to lure big-name investors.