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Designer Glasses With Microdisplay Unveiled
An anonymous reader writes to tell us about an Israeli company, Lumus-Optical, and their nicely designed eyeglasses featuring twin microdisplays and mini projectors. They will be demoed at CES in January. From the article: "The firm's latest prototype boasts dual 640 x 480 resolution displays as well as two wee projectors on each arm; the Lumus glasses can accept video inputs via an undisclosed connection, and projects an image akin to a '60-inch screen from 10 feet away.' Its Light-guide Optical Element technology allows the imagery to be reflected back on to the lenses so users can view them, all while being transparent enough to allow you to focus on the humans, trees, road block, or board room presentation ahead of you."
In order for a hud to be viewable on the windshield in daylight the windshield must be special, which translates into expensive. People lose windshields to rocks falling off of semis and the like every day. That is why this is a stupid idea.
Note that the HUD in a military aircraft does not display on the canopy. It displays on a transparent screen in front of the pilot, such as in fighter jets, or on goggles, such as in the Apache assault heli.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
link to home page: http://www.lumusvision.com/ They have a technology section displaying an overview of the refraction elements used to display the image. They also seem to have developed (and brought to market) an earlier model of these glasses. I admit they do look shiny, but if i bought VR goggles i'd primarily use them at home. It's a cool toy, but would lug around something like that for everyday use?
http://www.bradleyrhodes.com/Papers/thad-glasses-h alf.jpg
Thad Starner, formerly of MIT and now at Georgia Tech has been using a wearable computer with a display built into his glasses for YEARS. This is NOT a new idea. It wasn't a new idea a month ago when slashdot posted an article from another company doing the same thing, and it won't be a new idea a month from now when they post an article about ANOTHER company developing the same thing. Problem is, none of these things ever actually comes to market, so you get a bunch of people reinventing the wheel and no one actually mass producing it.
I shudder to think about the implications of remaining focused at a depth of less than inch from the eye for extended periods of time.
You're not. The focal distance is much further away than that -- the apparent focal plane floats in front of the user at a comfortable distance. Thus, eye strain should be reduced compared to normal computer use.
I am a geek attorney, but not your geek attorney unless you've already retained me. This is not legal advice.
In order for a hud to be viewable on the windshield in daylight the windshield must be special, which translates into expensive. People lose windshields to rocks falling off of semis and the like every day. That is why this is a stupid idea.
It isn't really as bad as you make it out to be.
The "specialness" is really just a coating to prevent double-reflections (one from the front of the glass and one from the back of the glass). You can purchase a user-applicable version of this coating yourself. Various cars already come with a HUD, like the Corvette which has had it as an option for probably over a decade now.
640x480 resolution is exactly enough to show a standard size and aspect ratio 480i/p TV picture; it'll be the equivalent of 480pX where X is whatever its refresh rate is, at 60Hz, it'll do DVD-quality playback (either at 480i60 or 480p24/30) and better (480p60).
Admittedly, its not enough to show HD content.
Just maybe the public transport where he is is better than where you are?
1. Never had a bus not turn up
2. Never had a bus driver not break a note for me (although I've never tried to buy a $1.30 fair with a fifty)
3. Depends on the time, mornings and evenings, none. 3 in the afternoon it's still better than the unruly foul mouthed drivers that clog up the streets around where I live (I live near two schools)
4. Bags are awesome
5. I've only ever been late when it was my fault (ie, missing the bus)
7. Nearest bus stop to me is about 100m away, though that bus only comes ever hour. Next nearest maybe 300m which two bus routes go past (both from the same train station) which effectively runs every 20 minutes.
My journey to uni on the busses and trains is maybe 45 minutes, by car well over an hour through heavily congested freeways.