A Computer Display in Ordinary Sunglasses? 182
DonaldP asks: "I've been making head-mounted displays for wearable computers for a couple or three years now; I think my latest and greatest 3rd Generation display is a big step ahead! It fits inside a normal-looking pair of sunglasses. Why would I do something like this? As far as I know, this is one of the only ones available out there - the only others that come close are made by MicroOptical Corporation, but it's been years and you STILL can't actually BUY any of their products. With large companies like Xybernaut holding plenty of patents on wearable computers and going strong, is there a place for my little one-man company? Any tips for making it on my own? Or is my best hope to hook up with a giant?" I've been waiting for a nice and portable HMD for years, and this has the advantage of not making you look like a Borg reject (although some of you might like that look). HMDs still have a way to go to be practical for everyday use (many still require perfect vision or contacts because they are clumsy with glasses) but I'm sure these drawbacks will be fixed with time.
Start small... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is something you could start now for very little $$. Trying to find someone to manufacture these things en masse would be a pain in the ass and likely require a huge investment. I say, make them all by hand for a couple of years until you are so flooded with orders that you just can't keep up. Then take it to the next step.
oh no.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Some questions... (Score:5, Insightful)
Although I think this technology is very cool, I think a key thing missing is the lack of a video camera. While he does mention that this drastically increases the size, it would make this technology MUCH more useful.
There is some usefulness for these sorts of displays (heads-up current information like current stock quotes for example), without some new input device to control such a radically different gadget from what we are used to. Somehow I don't see people 10 years from now running pine off to the side!
While perhaps some kind of hand-pad would be a good short-term compromise (What do people think should be hooked up to one of these, maybe a Handspring Expansion?), the most intuitive and relevant inputs would be voice and/or sight recognition.
Imagine searching a crowd for a friend. You say aloud, "Where's Paul?" and this baby runs a face-pattern recognition algorithm to help you... Just a thought ;-)
Re:Start small... (Score:4, Insightful)
That's good advice, unless you find it turns to a nightmare of technical support, repairs, warranty, and eyesight-loss/seizure-related lawsuits that become too much to handle yourself. Then you'll have take it to the next level.
A few applications (Score:3, Insightful)
Ok, it's getting late. Will stop there.
* gameshow, for those that don't know it.
Phillip.
Re:Input (Score:4, Insightful)
3D acceleration
Head tracking
Finger motion tracking
and a sufficiently powerfull processor, it would be possible to make basically a floating keyboard out in front of you, visible stereoscopically through the glasses as being in a comfortable ergonomic position.
You could then type on this nonexistent keyboard! With headphones, it would even be possible to have audible feedback in your ears every time you hit a key.
I think it would be cool to walk around with regular sunglasses on and see time/date and other information popups appear around the edges of my vision, focussed to infinity.
I guess I'll have to wait for brain implanted chips and retinal projectors, though
Vary your focus (Score:3, Insightful)
(Tekmage:) The focal point is actually far in front of you..
As a bonus with these displays, make the focus point of the text vary slowly over time, so your eyes aren't always set to a particular distance.
Hey, it's a selling point too.. Exercise for your eyes, while you work!
Seriously, it seems pretty obvious that it would be very beneficial for your eyes to not have to be set to the same focus all day, like it may be right now, if your work involves staring at your monitor all day long.
Computer enhanced reality. (Score:4, Insightful)
A pair of display glasses kept next to the copy machine. When it jams in location D2, the user puts them on and an animation of how to remove the jam is superimposed on the actual mechanism. The same applies to any kind of mechanical task (think fixing an automobile, or the advanced chapters of the Kama Sutra).
Or this:
A firefigter eners a burning building; it's smoky and nothing can be seen. Radar maps the suroundings and shows a wireframe model on his heads up display. (Actually, I think they have things already which can see through smoke, but perhaps they could be made lighter). Or maybe containers of hazardous materials would have a transponder that would alert the firefighter to its presence, display a red dot at its location, and show its material safety data sheet on request.
Or this:
A headset that gives a surgeon a heads up view of her patient's vital signs, displays plans she has made for complex operations, and integrates with advance sensors to give her the equivalent of x-ray vision.
Or this:
A pair of glasses that would allow people identifying rare plants or insects to compare specimens to the taxonomic databases. They could even be integrated with a video microscope so the user doesn't have to bend of a stereo microscope all day.
Personally, I'd like to get rid of computer monitors. They're an ergonomic disaster, and scaling them up in size creates all kinds of space and energy problems. But I could probably think of a hundred other applications for them in every day life. I believe computer enhanced reality has a huge potential.