Apple has reportedly hired Dr. Jeff Norris, an augmented and virtual reality specialist who founded the Mission Operations Innovation Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to be part of a special projects team working to bring augmented reality to the masses. 

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports Norris was hired earlier this year and has since filled the role of senior manager on the company's AR team, an effort led by former Dolby Labs executive Mike Rockwell. The team, which reports to SVP of hardware engineering Dan Riccio, is said to be developing a pair of AR glasses, as well as related technologies that could show up on a future iPhone.

According to his website, Norris has successfully developed a number of AR/VR and robotics solutions while at NASA JPL. For example, Norris' team created and experimented with a mixed reality system dubbed Project Sidekick, which utilizes Microsoft's HoloLens goggles to communicate with astronauts on the International Space Station. 

It's unclear when Apple's first dedicated AR product will launch. Rumors suggest the company might debut some ilk of AR into its upcoming "iPhone 8" handset, with full-fledged wearable hardware to follow as soon as next year.

Source: appleinsider