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Hey everyone,
Been too busy to post anything this week. Thanks for your comments, I enjoy reading them (for the most part)!
I can't always answer everybody's questions all the time, but I'm happy to see the dialogue that's going here on some of the threads.
We're really fortunate to have such great supporters and I am appreciative of the passion and creativity about what we're doing that is evident from a lot of people's comments.
I'm going to be traveling through much of the first half of July, but I'm hoping to get the chance to poke my head up and share some of my thoughts with all of you.
Thanks again for your ongoing support and readership!
Ben
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Heh, I've been following this technology since I first read about Steve Mann's work on wearable computers sometime in the 90's. I'm waiting with bated breath for you to bring this technology to commercially available life.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm thinking about it, focal planes. Will the Color Eyewear be able to project virtual images at different focal planes? That's the leading drawback to most HMDs because no matter how 3D it is, you're still staring at a screen two inches in front of your eye. Too much of that and your focal muscles atrophy.
Sorry if I'm throwing these at you too fast, been brainstorming lately. Feel free to take your time answering.
Kitty,
ReplyDeleteCheck this link for a paper on what would be the 'next gen' colour eyewear:
http://www.hitl.washington.edu/publications//r-2006-34/r-2006-34.pdf
The brains at HIT lab are already onto the issue of focal planes, and whilst I don't think the current Microvision effort will have this feature its the next logical step.
Ben - any comments?
I never was very good with optics, so I may be wrong, but aren't focal planes just a function of the angle the light rays enter the eye? Doesn't seem like it would be too hard to implement. Of course, I have no idea how the Color Eyewear works apart from "it scans the image onto your retina."
ReplyDeleteYou were gone awhile? Were you with Alex in the Far East?
ReplyDeleteI believe that what microvision are doing with their color eyewear is creating the first ever full human visual field of view HMD. This is easily possible with the MVIS mems scanning device. When the scanner beams the RGB laser onto a target such as a curved screen it does not lose focus, so you can have curved optics that are made to cover the eyes perfectly. Then the device will beam say the 3d game world onto the curved screens and thus giving you a wrap around full human visual field of view which is about 180 degrees. 270 degrees if you take into account the far corners on the peripheral vision of each eye. But it's not possible to look at 270 degrees in real life, i mean it's 270 degrees if you look to your left and then look to your right but when actually looking forward and notice your peripheral vision on each side then it's about 170-180 degrees, and about 160 or i think 180 degrees vertically. Now compare that to any HMD on the market, that's huge. Look at HMD's on the market the best they can do is 42 degrees diagonal field of view and there 800x600 resolution and cost $25,000+
ReplyDeleteMVIS know what their doing and we are going to see some incredible tech getting pumped out in the near future.
Actually, they don't project it on the inside of the glasses. They scan the image directly onto your retina. The hard part will be convincing the consumer that staring into a laser is safe. Then again, lasik had the same problem, and they're doing fine.
ReplyDeletea different kind of comment/request
ReplyDeleteWould it be possible to use your spectrum photo for my autistic daughter's new local group I am setting up? She chose this among hundreds we ploughed through and we have also named the autism group SPECTRUM as well - although that name was thought of last year!
Lesley,
ReplyDeleteNo problem at all. Thanks!
Ben
MVIS does not project the laser directly at your eye. That is a disconception held by a lot RSD fans. You will see only one spot and it will burn your eyes. They will need an optical system that will change the angle of light ariving at your eye so make it appear from far away and much larger image.
ReplyDeleteEyewares that are already on the market from other companies also do RSD. Only difference is they are not see through. Wonder with all the knowledge and patents MVIS had for RSD, no commercial product until 2009 at the earliest. What's going on? All competitors eyeware are either on the market or will be on the market in less than a year. Is it because you have to wait for IPM to mature?
ReplyDeletei guarantee that MVIS tech does not beam onto the retina, it will beam onto a optics display. For their eye wear it could be curved optics.
ReplyDeleteBen wrote, clear as day, in the comments for the June 13 post:
ReplyDelete"Color Eyewear will also use retinal scanning technology. Our eyewear lens display delivers the scanning laser to the wearer's eye, while maintaining very high see-through performance. Same principle as in our Nomad product, just full color and with a radical new optics approach."
In other words, they scan it onto your retina.
"Our eyewear LENS DISPLAY delivers the scanning laser to the wearer's eye"
ReplyDeleteLaser does not shine directly at the eye. LENS DISPLAY relay the light to the eye at the same time changing angle of light.
Did you see the NOMAD? There is a piece of glass that reflects the scanned light to the eye. RSD is the most hyped word. All it is is to change the angle of light from the image to the eye to make appear far away and larger. MVIS does not own RSD. Everyone else has been doing it and already in the market.
ReplyDeleteActually there is a eyeware product from a company from Isreal that does see-through eyeware. All MVIS can do is hyping claiming they own all the patents but could not deliver a product.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El1497&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Technology
ReplyDelete"Actually there is a eyeware product from a company from Isreal that does see-through eyeware. All MVIS can do is hyping claiming they own all the patents but could not deliver a product."
ReplyDeleteLOL...you better call General Dynamics and tell them what you found out. They could save millions of dollars. Oh yes you better put a call into the US Military I'll bet they don't know either.
What the hell? Did somebody link this on 4chan? gb2b, noob.
ReplyDeleteRead the damn press releases. It really does scan it into your eye. the lens is to reflect it because glass == transparent and microchip != transparent.
IT does not point into the eye, it paints a lens that you see, similar to the HUD that needs a special windshield. I looked at the HMD at SID and Ben told me that a major advance will be to make the lens slimmer, similar to a microscope slide.
ReplyDelete"LOL...you better call General Dynamics and tell them what you found out. They could save millions of dollars. Oh yes you better put a call into the US Military I'll bet they don't know either. "
ReplyDeleteI am sure they know better than me since MVIS has been doing this kind of prototyping for 10 years now without any product resulting from them. They used to blame it on green laser. Don't know what they are blaming now. Not enough money to burn?
"Nomad -- Microvision's first commercial product -- integrates
ReplyDeleteMicrovision's patented retinal scanning display (RSD) technology into head worn devices, and allows an individual to view images without the need for a cumbersome screen. The technology scans a low-power beam of light to "paint"
rows of pixels onto the eye, creating a high resolution, see-through, full-motion image without the use of electronic screens of any kind. To the
viewer, the image appears to be floating directly in front of them at about an arm's length away, as if on a large computer or television monitor."
Ben says the color eyewear uses the same technology, in other words, scanning it onto your retina. And I don't know what you're talking about "without any product resulting from it." What the hell do you call the Nomad? They've even pulled the Nomad from production so they can focus on producing the IPM. If they don't have a new product soon, they won't have anything to sell, and selling stock can only take you so far.
They have sold less than 10 Nomads. You call it a product.
ReplyDelete"I am sure they know better than me since MVIS has been doing this kind of prototyping for 10 years now without any product resulting from them. They used to blame it on green laser. Don't know what they are blaming now. Not enough money to burn?"
ReplyDeleteLast year mvis was awarded almost 7 million in contracts. If you read the contracts mvis had to deliver a number of prototypes with each contract. I guess they must be thrilled with the results because they were just awarded another 3 million recently. This is cutting edge technology not a pair of glasses with a little screen and a Bozo the clown look. If I am right mvis also delivered over a hundred Nomads to the military and they have been used in the field with great results.
Thank you, Len. Most of their customers were in the military and industrial fields where they didn't mind it's terrible unfashionable looks. The groundbreaking thing about Color Eyewear isn't the RSD, it's not looking like a moron wearing it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've been seeing a lot of "Somebody else came up with the idea first" griping on tech blogs lately. It's not "who did it first" it's "who did it best." By your philosophy, LEDs should never have been invented because "Edison came up with a light emitting device first." [sarcasm] I mean, who cares if we reduce the power draw or miniaturize it, we didn't come up with the idea. [/sarcasm]
Kitty
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that your getting confused on this technology, and your confusion is not going to help investors on here, Ben really should reply as soon as possible.
Look at the nomad picture here
http://microvision.com/miloverview.html
There is a optics display in front of your eyes, the nomad is an augmented reality visor, that displays data over the real world, it's see through, it helps troops in war for such things as targeting, GPS, etc etc
The nomad is not beamed into the retina and any talk of it is just marketing words. I can assure you we are no where near to having retinal scanning devices just yet, around 2015 it will come.
Um, yes we are. We've had the technology for years. It's just been impractical. Why the fuck would he call it "retinal scanning technology" if it didn't scan onto the retina? There's no ambiguity in there whatsoever. It's not like he's calling it something like "magic eye display" that I could be misinterpreting, it clearly involves the retina and some sort of scanning.
ReplyDeleteKitty,
ReplyDeleteI like your spunk! That poster is not worth you getting irritated. They are coming out of the woodwork. That is a good sign people are getting the idea now. MVIS is about to blow all of the competition out of the water. There is no stopping it now. Finally!
Thanks Len. I don't usually lose my temper that easily, but I was expecting anyone posting on this blog to, y'know, READ it first. Must be the Scotch blood in me.
ReplyDeleteThere are two anonymous posters here not one. I would say 99% of MVIS investors don't know that RSD means and they really think the laser is scanned directly into retina. If you understand a little physics, you will know that light from one spot (scan mirror) without going through another lens system will be focused into one spot in your retina. RSD has been misused by MVIS for a long time and a lot of investors bought into this hype and lost their shirt withoug understanding what it is about. MVIS RSD technology may be better worded as "virutal display". MVIS owns patents doing this virtual display using scan mirror. This does not prevent other companies doing the same thing using methods other than scan mirror. MVIS does not have a lock on augmented reality as Ben claims. Not even close. I have invested in MVIS recently. But I saw most MVIS investors don't know what technology they invested in.
ReplyDeleteArtical about LUMUS eyeware:
ReplyDeletehttp://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/04/01/8403352/
Let's challenge Ben to deliver the same quality product in 2008 since in Ben's own words "MVIS technology is the only technology that achieve this".
ReplyDeleteDo you even know anything about optics? It won't all go to the same spot on your retina. The mirror changes it's angle, changing the angle of incidence, changing the direction of the light beam, making it go SOMEWHERE ELSE. It's laughably simple. And if you had bothered to read the comments on June 13th post I quoted you would know that someone directly asked him if it would scan onto the retina or if it would project onto the inside of the lens. He said "Color Eyewear will also use retinal scanning technology." End of discussion.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I've seen the Lumus technology. But that's just an ordinary LCD projector, miniaturized and projecting on a semitransparent screen. The IPM is much more power efficient.
Once again, it's not who does it first, it's who does it best.
Kitty i know where your coming from, MVIS is making some revolutionary technology which is going to blow away all the competition but the fact is it ain't scanning onto the retina, and Ben will prove it soon.
ReplyDeleteHe said "Color Eyewear will also use retinal scanning technology." End of discussion.
ReplyDeleteProblem is MVIS's RSD does not literally mean RSD. The mirror scans the laser beam to different points of the eye. The eye is a focusing lense. Since all light come from one spot (scan mirror). Eye will focus all the incident light into one spot on retina.
LUMUS technology appears to be more advanced than MVIS's RSD. They can do this with 2 mm thick glass. Nomad uses a very thick glass which is not practical for comsumer application. That's why Ben's team has been spending a lot of time trying to make it thinner. LUMUS has already done it and with better results than MVIS can ever achieve.
Technology cycles are very short. Since MVIS has wasted more than 10 years on its technology, one would expect that technology will be obsolete about now.
MVIS can still sell eyeware to millitary since LUMUS is not a US based company. Don't think MVIS will be able to compete with LUMUS on the consumer side.
ReplyDeleteThis LUMUS technology could be a competitor on cell phone use as well. If one were to replace the lcd screen with their optics one would see a large virtual screen instead of 2 inch screen. Multiple people could look at it at the same time. This is why Motorolla has invested in this company. 2mm thick glass is definitely smaller than 7mm thick IPM and it does not draw as much power.
ReplyDeleteYes. Lumus could make a large virtual screen for cellphones. All they'd have to do is mount a large, 2mm thick piece of glass about a foot away from the cellphone and project onto that. That doesn't sound like a dumb idea at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd anonymous 7:40, shut up. You are some sort of incredible moron who read in a book that "the lens of the eye is a focusing lens" and completely misinterpreted it. If Ben says it's a Retinal Scanning Display, then it is. I think, as project head, he has just a little bit more knowledge about how it works than you do. Y'know, seeing as he's helping design the bloody thing.
See what I mean kitty? Not worth the effort! Sleep well tonight game over.
ReplyDeletePoor Ben. Having to come home to this.
ReplyDelete"Yes. Lumus could make a large virtual screen for cellphones. All they'd have to do is mount a large, 2mm thick piece of glass about a foot away from the cellphone and project onto that. That doesn't sound like a dumb idea at all."
ReplyDeleteIt just shows how ignorant you are. The glass will replace the existing LCD screen on the cell phone and you will have a large virtual display. Ignorant people like you should never invest in technology stocks.
Further out, Lumus is currently developing an HDD application that projects an A5-size image but still fits inside a cellular phone. In this configuration the device is hand-held (HHD) and the image, which aterializes?at a distance behind the device, is viewed through a window similar in size to that of a common cellular-phone display.
ReplyDeleteAddressing the automotive and personal mobile device markets, Lumus is also working on an alternative HUD configuration for pilots and drivers. The personal display will project the car or plane instrument data in front of the driver/pilot, in his field of vision. Using this HUD, the driver or the pilot will not have to take his eyes off the route and to look down to see how the vehicle/plane is performing
Lumus executives project that the mass production of a mid-range LOE suitable for use in a consumer-oriented heads-up near-eye viewer could be significantly less than $10, but with much better visual quality. If so, expect heads-up viewers much closer to the $100 or less price point of current low-end PDAs, portable media players and cell phones, and a fraction of the cost of the next-generation multimedia-optimized devices.
So, basically, I put my eye up to a little screen on my cellphone and look through it to see the virtual display?
ReplyDeletePass. The point here is to not look like a moron in public.
I am not saying it is better than PicoP in the embedded space. Just a competitor.
ReplyDeleteGuys -- don't get too worked up about labels -- all human vision is processed by the retina. In this way, ALL displays can be described as 'retinal displays'.
ReplyDeleteThe key word in 'retinal scanning display' is SCANNING.
Using PicoP, we scan a beam of laser light extremely fast to create an image. This image travels through some newly designed thin optics and is reflected to the wearer's retina. So the glass is clear, but there's an image on your retina that you perceive to be floating in front of you.
It's COOL.
Has any of the people talking about Lumus on here actually seen their display? While the form factor is good, it can not generate enough brightness to be usable in a see-through modality (ie, walking around outside).
To Len's point re: General Dynamics and the US Armed Forces, this day/night readability capability that we can provide (ie, brightness) in ANY ambient lighting condition is CRITICAL to the product's intended use.
We believe that capability is also critical to usability in the consumer mobility application as well. So, we feel we are well positioned from a technology and market perspective.
We just need to wait to test out LUMUS eyeware in 2008. Thanks for the clarification!
ReplyDeleteHi Ben, Thanks for your entries here and thanks very much for the recent photos of MVIS projected images. Would it be possible for you to post an IPM projected color still image or two, but recorded with a camera with an adequate exposure long enough so as to have a really clear non-blurry picture? I would really love to see a clear full color still image of the new wide angle IPM image. Is this possible?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Me too. It is not too much to ask. Needs to be manual focus and long exposure time. Please post the orignal image as well for comparison.
ReplyDeleteBoy, some of you sure are ungrateful(Anonymous 123,etc. )The majority of us investors truly appreciate your updates Ben. I am a long term investor in MVIS and am willing to wait for Microvision's technologies to come to fruition.
ReplyDelete