Introduction to Spatial Computing
Researchers within the emerging field of spatial computing have developed a prototype augmented reality headset that uses holographic imaging to overlay full-color, 3D moving images on the lenses of what would seem like an abnormal pair of glasses. Unlike the bulky headsets of present-day augmented reality systems, the brand new approach delivers a visually satisfying 3D viewing experience in a compact, comfortable, and attractive form factor suitable for all-day wear.
How it Works
"Our headset appears to the skin world similar to an on a regular basis pair of glasses, but what the wearer sees through the lenses is an enriched world overlaid with vibrant, full-color 3D computed imagery," said Gordon Wetzstein, an associate professor of electrical engineering and an authority within the fast-emerging field of spatial computing. The device is the results of a collaboration between Wetzstein and a team of engineers, who introduce their innovation in a brand new paper within the journal Nature. Though only a prototype now, such technology could transform fields stretching from gaming and entertainment to training and education – anywhere computed imagery might enhance or inform the wearer’s understanding of the world around them.
Potential Applications
One could imagine a surgeon wearing such glasses to plan a fragile or complex surgery or an airplane mechanic using them to learn to work on the newest jet engine, based on Manu Gopakumar, a doctoral student within the Wetzstein-led Stanford Computational Imaging lab and co-first writer of the paper. The potential applications are vast, making this technology a major breakthrough in the sphere of spatial computing.
Overcoming Technical Barriers
The recent approach is the primary to string a posh maze of engineering requirements which have up to now produced either ungainly headsets or less-than-satisfying 3D visual experiences that may leave the wearer visually fatigued, or perhaps a bit nauseous at times. To succeed, the researchers have overcome technical barriers through a mixture of AI-enhanced holographic imaging and recent nanophotonic device approaches. The first hurdle was that the techniques for displaying augmented reality imagery often require the usage of complex optical systems.
Traditional vs. New Approach
In traditional systems, the user doesn’t actually see the actual world through the lenses of the headset. Instead, cameras mounted on the outside of the headset capture the world in real-time and mix that imagery with computed imagery. The resulting blended image is then projected to the user’s eye stereoscopically. This approach results in bulky headsets and less-than-satisfying visual experiences. The recent approach, nevertheless, uses holographic imaging to project computed imagery directly onto the lenses of the glasses, eliminating the necessity for bulky optics.
The Role of Holography
To produce more visually satisfying 3D images, Wetzstein and his team used holography, a Nobel-winning visual technique developed within the late Forties. Despite its great promise in 3D imaging, more widespread adoption of holography has been limited by an inability to portray accurate 3D depth cues, resulting in an underwhelming, sometimes nausea-inducing, visual experience. The team used AI to enhance the depth cues within the holographic images, making them more life-like and immersive.
Nanophotonic Technologies
Using advances in nanophotonics and waveguide display technologies, the researchers were in a position to project computed holograms onto the lenses of the glasses without counting on bulky additional optics. A waveguide is constructed by etching nanometer-scale patterns onto the lens surface. Small holographic displays mounted at each temple project the computed imagery through the etched patterns, which bounce the sunshine inside the lens before it’s delivered on to the viewer’s eye.
Life-like Quality
The 3D effect is enhanced since it is created each stereoscopically, within the sense that every eye gets to see a rather different image as they’d in traditional 3D imaging, and holographically. With holography, you furthermore mght get the complete 3D volume in front of every eye, increasing the life-like 3D image quality. The ultimate final result of the brand new waveguide display techniques and the development in holographic imaging is a true-to-life 3D visual experience that’s each visually satisfying to the user without the fatigue that has challenged earlier approaches.
Conclusion
The development of this recent augmented reality headset is a major breakthrough in the sphere of spatial computing. With its compact, comfortable, and attractive form factor, it has the potential to remodel various fields and revolutionize the best way we interact with computed imagery. As Gordon Wetzstein said, "Holographic displays have long been considered the final word 3D technique, however it’s never quite achieved that big business breakthrough. Maybe now they’ve the killer app they’ve been waiting for all these years."
