Many augmented reality (AR) users are familiar with head-mounted displays (HMDs) and have experienced the negative side effects of eye strain and nausea that HMDs can cause. However, engineers at Cambridge University recently revealed that they have developed an AR HMD that eliminates these negative side effects.
While we recently wrote about the brick-and-mortar Raspberry Pi store in Cambridge, Cambridge University houses its own tech development centre, known as the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE). While CAPE works on a variety of projects, this most recent innovation was made in conjunction with Huawei European Research Centre and could significantly boost and prolong the user experience.
The key change in the HMD from Cambridge is an enlarged eye-box. The eye-box is scaleable and has a field of view that’s 36 degrees wider than previous ones. Using pixel beam scanning on the retina, the HMD can always keep images focused for the user’s eye, no matter what distance. This particular feat is accomplished by using partially reflective beam splitters to form a virtual opening through which light travels. Narrow pixel beams also travel on parallel trajectories without dispersing. Combined, these two features produce high quality images that are unaffected by the range of motion in the human eye.
“Our research offers up a wearable AR experience that rivals the market leaders thanks to its comfortable 3-D viewing which causes no nausea or eyestrain to the user,” said Professor Daping Chu, director of CAPE. “It can deliver high quality clear images directly on the retina, even if the user is wearing glasses. This can help the user to see displayed real world and virtual objects clearly in an immersive environment, regardless of the quality of the user’s vision.”
In a subjective user study, over 50 participants in an age range spanning over 40 years reported no experiences of eye strain and/or nausea after using the HMD from Cambridge, even after extended periods of time. Researchers at CAPE will continue research to explore the possibilities with this new HMD, hoping to further develop the HMD itself to create a smaller, possible glasses-based device.
