Augmented Reality is more than Virtual Reality

Latest tech hints

This page will continue to fill with new technology ideas as they appear.

Towards Wearable, High-Performance
Augmentd Reality Displays
:
Currently, AR glasses with half the eye resolution and a tiny field of view and a small eyebox requiring helmet-like head mountings, are still hyped as progress. But AR needs way better technology, it should be as light and convenient as the best state-of the-art eyeglasses, deliver high resolution and a very large field of view.
In this paper (latestPDF; web page version), we propose curved and translucent on-axis-displays as a perfect solution, fulfilling all of the requirements*.
A complete developer toolkit with detailed math, Blender 3D models and tutorial videos can be downloaded here, as well as from displaysbook.info.
* All rights preserved. Patents granted. DE102014013320B4; GB2537193B, US11867903B2.


Displays delivering high resolution while covering a wide field of view are difficult to build, as this requires way above even QFHD resolution, and the computing power necessary to render such images in 3D and real time is not yet easily integrated into mobile devices. We also need very high frame rates if we want a convenient motion response, especially when combined with high resolution.
The Answer to this could be intelligent display chips. This is an entirely new concept. Click to read more...


Mobile phone 'AR' apps, just at the horizon when the current book edition was finished, have meanwhile appeared in numbers and created new interest in AR as a general topic. Yet, these apps are just decorating displayed information with a more or less properly aligned camera image of the scene. All is trapped in the phones display, and hands-free operation is not possible.
Nevertheless, if we could just use some simple display glasses as routinely as we use headphones, the information could really be integrated to sight. The optical functionality needed is no more than that of a headup display - ancient technology already, and simple as well. Click to read more...
Combining the collimated mode with a concept of 'dumb' display glasses opens up new aspects also for indoor applications, foremost virtual large panel TVs but also many other types of virtual devices. Architectural concepts and the achievement of lowest possible power consumption and weight for the display glasses are paramount issues in this context. Click to read more...


Adaptation:

Despite all possible simplifications, dynamic fit and focus adaptation will be important for really versatile AR displays, and there are several promising technologies for it. For instance, have a look at these materials about artificial muscles.


curved and translucent displays would offer unprecedented performance for light and compact AR glasses*. Read all about design methods and simulation results in this preprint paper (PDF).

* patents pending


Optics w. concentric mirror and display spheres

Spherical transparent display (pixels extremely enlarged)
Animation of a simulation model

 

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Copyright © 2006-2011 Rolf R. Hainich; all materials on this website are copyrighted.
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