Maintaining focus between augmented reality projections and real-life objects is difficult with current market solutions. However, a new product developed by Avegant, called Light Field, aims to fix this issue.
Avegant is the company behind a successful kickstarter entertainment platform: Glyph. Much like a VR headset, but not branded as one, the Glyph is a personal mobile theater that allows you to watch movies on the go. However, what is impressive about Glyph is how it uses what Avegant calls a “screenless display.” Basically, it works using a low-powered light reflected off of two million tiny mirrors and projected directly onto your eye, a setup that helps reduce fatigue or eyestrain.
This time around, Avegant used the background and experience gained with Glyph to take a step further and join the augmented and mixed reality market with Light Field.
Light Field is an AR headset that looks very similar to Microsoft’s HoloLens at first. In fact, the Field-of-View and positional tracking are very limited—just as other headsets out there—but what Avegant is really trying to do is upgrade the display based on Glyph’s technology.
To solve the problem with changing focus, Avegant’s AR Headset Light Field uses what they call “light-field displays.” These displays convert incoming light sources into images displayed simultaneously through multiple focal planes from near distances to infinity. This means that our eyes can focus on anything up close or far away, regardless if it’s physical or digital. The technology is similar to the one that Magic Leap claims to use, but has not yet shown to the public.
Various sources have tried the headset and confirm that the image is crisp and the focusing works as intended. Some claim this is one of the best, if not the best, screen to date in an AR headset.
Avegant isn’t sharing future plans or an estimated date when manufacturing starts. Nevertheless, this is a revolutionary step for the AR industry and one to keep an eye on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrNwP_eTC9c
