Several players are showing off advancements in virtual reality, completely removing the area around the person and creating a new space, but there has not been a large amount of development on augmented reality.

This changes with a new large patent application by Magic Leap, a Google and Qualcomm backed augmented reality company.

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The private startup has been working on augmented reality for a few years, and apart from several executives claiming it is the future, not much is known about the ideas.

In the new patent application, Magic Leap shows off some weird and wacky designs for augmented reality in the future, including a new user interface to interact with the world through different finger movements.

Magic Leap then goes into a new way to utilize different social apps, by tagging them to a specific finger. Users may be able to swipe through these applications to find the right one.

Entertainment has been considered, Magic Leap shows a man watching a football game, taking a photo of a match and also getting an advertisement for the player's shoe.

It can also be used for shopping, pulling a virtual shopping list onto the side of the cart. Supermarkets can also make apps for children to play, while the parent does the shopping.

Medical applications could allow doctors to talk about different organs by pulling up the organ in 3D, pointing to the areas affected. Anyone wearing the goggles with the app installed will be able to see what the doctor is showing.

There are various other potential functions for Magic Leap's augmented reality device, but the question is, will these features be created by the startup, or are they simply proof-of-concept for another company to try.

Magic Leap continues to work in the shadows, but may be a factor in Google's own augmented reality product, Google Glass. The software giant recently announced Google Glass will move to Nest Labs, following two years at Google X Labs.

TagsMagic Leap, futuristic