Where Are the High-Res Head-Mounted Displays?

vivian writes "Ever since 1996, when I first set eyes on a Sony GlassTron head-mounted display in Japan, I have been awaiting a lightweight, head-mounted display that actually has decent resolution and doesn't look like a brick tied to your face. The closest contender to date seems to be the WRAP 920AV from Vuzix, and they are partially transparent too, which is great, but as with every other unit I have found, they only offer video quality — 640x480. Given that there have been a number of other discussions on Slashdot, I can't be the only one here who is eagerly awaiting something that could actually be a viable alternative to a PC monitor — especially for gaming or 3d graphics work. Perhaps we could petition a manufacturer to make what we actually want? Something with a minimum of 1024x768 @30-60hz refresh, say, and capable of stereo vision. Extra karma if they incorporate head tracking."

Comments

VR was more hype than reality

[AKAImBatman]

Why spend thousands of dollars smooshing a high resolution display to your face when you can blow up a flatscreen to epic proportions and get all the resolution you need? Practically speaking, the HMD does nothing additional other than give you headache.

Even head tracking has taken a back seat. Interface design has moved away from the idea of strapping gagetry to your body and moved toward motion sensing devices that provide excellent spatial control and immersion without cramming you into a latex glove. (Bow chicka bow wow.)

Take the Wii Remote as an example. Accelerometers and IR sensors work together to provide precise positioning. A gyroscope powered attachment called the Motion+ is coming out to close the gap on orientation difficulties. That's the low-end and look at what has already been achieved. The high end stuff allows researchers to build entire rooms where gyroscopes and camera tracking provide location information while the subject is surrounded by projected images or large flat panels.

The end goal is to blur the line between man and machine rather than having the machine trick man into believing he's in a different world. As it turns out, bluring the line between reality and unreality is hella lot easier than trying to replace the current reality.

In short, don't hold your breath. The VR of the 90's is dead. Long live augmented realtiy.

Re:VR was more hype than reality

[gfxguy]

Have you read "Rainbows End," by Vernor Vinge?

I know it's not what you want (reality), it's fiction, but it's got some interesting concepts.

For example, that computer display might as well just be on a contact lens instead on some bulky headset.

Moreover, more than describing objects, you can color the world any way you want... want it to look medieval? It'll change the houses you see while walking down the street into huts and castles; someone riding a bike looks like they're riding a horse... and always online and always communicating with your friends.

I'd hate it, but can see some applications that would be cool.

Re:VR was more hype than reality

[gnick]

Yeah - ridiculous for a cyborg, but awesome for me. I can't tell you how useful it would be for me if, when somebody walked up to me at a party, I received the following tips on my head's-up:

* Name: John
* Relationship: Husband of wife's co-worker
* How well known?: Talked 3 times informally
* Drink/Smoke: Y/N
* Topics to avoid: Christian (fanatic), Janet (knocking her off behind wife's back)
* Suggested topics: MMA/UFC, Italian food

Would save me a lot of awkward conversation lulls.

Re:VR was more hype than reality

[jollyreaper]

While that would be cool for us, it was really pretty ridiculous for the use it was given in the Terminator movies. I mean, come on... the most efficient way to get information from a cyborg's archives into working memory is by displaying it in English in the visual field? In the peripheral vision, no less?

The original Cylons were even better. What's the best way to pilot a raider? Strap in three robots, give them manual controls! And how do they communicate? By vibrating air molecules inside the ship! Wait, why was it pressurized again? So I take it if Cylons were in a ship that lost atmo, they'd have to communicate with sign language?

That's right up there with Transformers, robots sitting in chairs at control panels, looking at video screens, and talking into telephones.

How, having had our good laugh at this, I wonder how a Terminator-style robot would perceive that kind of information? I suppose any sensory recording from the unit would have a visual component as well as shitloads of onboard and environmental data that would be impossible for a human to fully appreciate. For humans debugging the prototypes of what Skynet eventually refined, I figure we'd probably see all shorts of HUD data that could be overlaid on top of the image for our benefit but Skynet wouldn't need it, nor would the terminator. I remember seeing a few years back an example of what sensory fusion and augmented reality could represent for a pilot. It showed transparent nested bubbles overlaid on the landscape representing the detection and engagement range of SAM's.

If we're talking about technical problems with the basic terminator design, I think the hydraulics and exposed interior of the chassis is probably the worst. To pass for human, a terminator would need to have muscles attaching to the endoskeleton at the right spots and flexing naturally along with the motion of the form. The superhuman strength would come from motors enclosed within the joints so as to keep them from becoming rusty and gunked up with the blood and bodily fluids. Still, thems jus some nitpicks. It still looks badass and terrifying.

my laundry list

[spyrochaete]

I want some sort of HMD or wearable computer so badly. I want a camera to record where I go and what I do and act as a backup for my cranial memory. I want it to recognize faces to keep track of my history that person. I want an internet connection everywhere so that I can call up an alternative recipe on the fly when I realize at the last minute that I'm missing an ingredient. I want to use the sum analyses of my automotive commutes to recommend ways I can change my driving behaviour to extend the life of my car and use less fuel. I want ubiquitous, always-ready, augmented reality. I want to evolve and extend my senses beyond what any human has ever been capable of, and I want to keep my private matters private.

Is that so much to ask?

Joint Strike Fighter helmet

[Goldenhawk]

It ain't cheap, and I doubt you could even buy one if you had the cash, but for state of the art, do a little research into the HMD for the JSF (helmet mounted display for the Joint Strike Fighter / F-35). From the Rockwell Collins website:
"Vision Systems International (VSI), a joint venture between Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems Ltd. of Israel, is developing the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) for the JSF. VSI's HMD offers a compact, versatile, lightweight and extremely rugged display with low power consumption. The JSF HMD is a binocular off-the-visor display providing the pilot with a large field-of-view video/calligraphic image to both eyes."

http://www.vsi-hmcs.com/f35.htm

From what I've read, it's simply amazing. The pilot will be able to look in ANY direction (including straight thru his body or the bottom or rear of the cockpit) to see augmented reality - with data fused from multiple sensors including infrared and radar, overlaid on the real world.

http://uscockpits.com/Jet%20Fighters/F-35_Cockpit_(dusk_with_virtual_HMD).jpg

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/f-35-hmds-pulls-the-gs-04088/

By the way, "calligraphic" is worth noting. A normal video image simply cannot create very bright and precise light points, because it's a raster image. But a calligraphic display effectively overcomes this limitation, by using a separate CRT gun to hit the same phosphors with much more power in a non-raster format. So the display is a combined raster and beam system, providing some ability to provide very precise details at much higher brightness, while also allowing normal full-color display.