Tech Convergence Will Spur Demand for New ADAS Technology

Head Mounted Displays in the News



Olympus Prototypes Head Mount Display Wearable Any Time

Olympus Corp. has made a prototype head mount display (HMD) designed to be worn at all times and to display information when required without impairing vision. The HMD does not usually display anything but shows simple information on certain occasions, e.g. to notify the arrival time of the train when the user comes to the platform of the station, or to draw attention when the user receives an e-mail. A 3.8-inch translucent screen of the diagonal length of 10 cm seems to exist 50 cm ahead of the user. Personal impression when actually worn is that things can be seen through the display and it never hinders the sight, giving almost no annoyance.

A main body of the HMD shapes like a stick and measures 3.2 mm x 3.2 mm x 27 mm. A 0.16-inch LCD panel with 113,000 pixels is embedded in the main body that is to be attached to the eyeglasses. The total weight of the main body and the attachment portion as light as 27 g enables prolonged use.

Specs, cell & an idiot box bundled together

The world of consumer electronics is chock-a-block with new-fangled gizmos in search of a market, but occasionally something comes along which looks like being a sure fire hit.

France Telecom is betting that a pair of video-screen glasses bundled with a cutting-edge multimedia cell phone made by Samsung, unveiled this weekend at the European Research and Innovation Exhibition in Paris, is the real deal.

Developed by US company MicroOptical, specialists in portable electronic eyewear, the France Telecom glasses contain two tiny screens that, when worn, optically fuse into one. The big-screen effect is stunning, especially when combined with built in stereo earpieces. France Telecom subsidiary Orange is providing the content ranging from movies, high-speed Internet access and even eventually television.

The feather-weight glasses can also be plugged directly into any device with a video port, such as a DVD player. There are many "virtual reality" glasses and "head-mounted displays" on the market, but most are cumbersome and none have been designed work with telecommunication devices such as cell phones. Many have been discontinued.

France Telecom will roll out its bundled package in France before the end of the year, says project leader Martin Conan.

And the price tag? "We have not yet determined the exact business model or how much is will cost the consumer," corporate communications officer Cathy Excoffier said at the three-day exhibition.

Judging from other devices on the market, it won't be cheap.

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