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Wearable LCD Display

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the heads-up dept.

fenimor writes "PhysOrg reports, that Mitsubishi is going to introduce next year a headset with a small liquid-crystal display screen which is positioned in front, slightly below eye level so as not to obstruct normal vision. Designed for users who need to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, this tiny wearable heads-up display is expected to cost only US $400."

21 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Wow. by Power+Everywhere · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I never thought we'd get to the point where people had to attach televisions to themselves. I can already hear the bickering over usage rights while driving. I'm beginning to think that John Titor wasn't so wrong.

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  2. How do I use it with glasses? by Crusty+Oldman · · Score: 5, Funny

    How do I use it with glasses? I'm an old man, and can't see anything closer than three feet away WITH glasses. How the heck am I going to read that tiny screen?

    1. Re:How do I use it with glasses? by RealProgrammer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't use a glass, use a tippy cup. Otherwise you'll spill your vodka all down your shirt.

      --
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    2. Re:How do I use it with glasses? by FrenZon · · Score: 3, Informative
      How do I use it with glasses?

      When headset manufacturers say things like 'equivalent to a 90" screen at 7 feet!!', it's not just fancy marketing talk - the distance is usually the focal distance of the display. I found out this out with my i-glasses, which were specced as a massive screen at 8' or so - I worked out the ratio and said "that's like a 19" screen at 3', cool." unfortunately, while I can easily read a 19" screen at 3', I can't read the equivalently large screen at 8' due to short sightedness. Wearing normal glasses or contacts underneath helps, if you can get them to fit.

      Some headsets include adjustable focal length, which I think is a necessity.

  3. YES!!!! by fireboy1919 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I plan to be the first person to cause a fender-bender from a chatroom.

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    1. Re:YES!!!! by Rob_Warwick · · Score: 5, Funny

      Honestly officer, I thought my hand was on the gearshift! Yes, of course it was a map.

    2. Re:YES!!!! by Tenebrious1 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I plan to be the first person to cause a fender-bender from a chatroom.

      Just to let you know you misspelled "porn".

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  4. Could be a big thing by jridley · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If they perfect these things, I'd use one as my normal monitor. I have no particular love of having a big ass thing on my desk (even an LCD). If it covers the same apparent field of view, I'd go for it.

    Combined with a folding keyboard, this could help portable computers get a lot smaller too.

    Odds are it draws a lot less power than a full size LCD panel; should help portable PC power consumption as well; I think the LCD is one of the major power hogs.

    1. Re:Could be a big thing by Saeger · · Score: 4, Informative
      Even better than a LCD HUD is a Retinal Scanning Display (RSD), but the tech isn't as mature yet. RSD's have a long list of advantages over LCDs and CRTs.

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  5. One question by TimmyDee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does the back of the miniature display flash "NERD" for everyone else to see? You know, in case it wasn't obvious.

    --
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  6. vga input? by weighn · · Score: 3, Insightful

    the article suggests it only takes a tv signal. I'd like one of these for my flight simming. My desk just can't bear one more monitor.

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    Mongrel News all the news that fits and froths
  7. Res, res, res by condour75 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The video is cute and futuristic but what's the resolution? If it's under 800x600 it's kind of useless. 1024x768 and I'd consider it, although I can't see it improving my sex life.

  8. Re:Spectacles by Big+Mark · · Score: 4, Funny

    Depends on how ugly she is and how drunk I am... Normally farsighted though. What difference does it make?

  9. Great for laptops/PDAs by for_usenet · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This should be a really neat way to get rid of power hungry displays. This device will draw some power, but hopefully, by virtue of its size, nowhere near the amount of a conventional laptop or PDA display. It should definitely open up some interesting possibilities. Imagine being able to shut off your laptop display, with this plugged into the VGA port, and drawing it's necessary power from a powered USB or Firewire port. Mmmmm ... Tasty ...

  10. Move along people... by Gentlewhisper · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bill Gates already got this. Remember the picture of him we see on slashdot?

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  11. *sigh* by Seabass55 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "users who need to perform multiple tasks simultaneously"

    Or maybe people should simply unplug once in a while and enjoy some of the real world. All I can imagine is some idiot using this while he's driving and causing an accident...this is far worse than cell phones. Yeah sure there's a power advantage like someone mentioned above for laptops...we'd be better off spending money on designing new longer lasting batteries than this thing.

  12. This is slashdot, so.... by vidnet · · Score: 5, Funny

    $400 for this thing when I can write up some hack for a gameboy and duct tape it to my face?

  13. Re:Death by EMI by workman161 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    No, LCD doesn't emit EMI radiation. But this makes me think of another question... Are there any long term effects from using it? Like eye strain, or headaches, or nausea?

  14. Multitasking Generation by izomiac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Has anyone else noticed the impossibly fast evolution of multitasking ability?

    People over 70 have trouble doing one thing at one time

    People over 55 seem to have trouble walking and cheqing gum simultaniously

    People over 30 think that they can drive and talk on a cell phone at the same time

    College and high school students can take note on a laptop while carrying on 6 simultanious AIM conversations while paying enough attention to the teacher to know if they are growing supicious

    What's next... babies with tenticles?

  15. It's called the SCOPO by Doyle · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's called the SCOPO. This infringes our intellectual property. The charge will be $699 per headset.

    Thanks,
    Darl

  16. Other advantages: Security, pointing device. by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Another advantage of an RSD is that it is a spinoff of a device to scan the retina, and adding one more beam-splitter and a photodiode on the laser side of the scanner lets the display do this, too.

    That leads to two extra functions:

    1) The retina print can be used for a "password". (Fewer worries about somebody who steals your wearable getting at your data or using your comm account to make 20-hour calls to 900 services in Malagua or spam the whole internet.)

    2) The display can measure where you're looking - and use that (with suitable algorithms to keep the cursor from being obtrusive) as your pointing device. (Look-and-click means one less device in your hand, i.e. a chord keyboard with mouse button chords in its vocabulary. And it ought to be a bunch faster than mousing.)

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