It's high time we as a community build the finest HMD?

[smoothy]

How do you go about projecting to a helmet visor? Would you use a special coating?

I would get that special white color projection screen paint and just paint on the exterior of the visor for rear projection or onto the interior for front projection.

It would be interesting to see but would the eyes be able to focus on such a close image? I think this is why all hmd optics make the object look more distant. Maybe using small credit card size fresnel lenses would be usefull but also ghetto becuase of the lines.

When I was a kid I went down the arcades and tried one of those VR games. Back then I found the image would cover my entire field of view and this was like 20 years ago. I remember the image quality as being blurry and not that good but I was immersed. The image wrapped around my eyes and I did not see any tunnel vision like you get with HMD's now. When I think back, perhaps because I was just kid, the small boy, small eyes. Maybe I didn't realize that in fact It was tunnel vision. But I was completely immersed. I even tried later about ten years ago those VR arcades in Disneyland and now being a lot older I still got that wrap around feeling. The image really covered my entire field of view. So perhaps the technology got better between then and when I was a kid or maybe the devices were always using really expensive optics which made the field of view that immersive always. But now I think, why can't we get the same optics from all those years ago but now at a much more affordable price? When I spoke to LeepVR they said they made the optics for those HMD's found in Disneyland. So I wonder why can't we ask their company to manufacture those optics for us DIY'ers? Surely now there more affordable to make after 20 years?

Now perhaps we may not even need optics, someone should just try projecting onto a motor bikes visor and then view the image and see if we really can focus on such an image so closeup. I thought with shutter glasses we may be able to, as you get stereo 3d depth which allows your eyes to focus into infinity which eases the strain on the yes from looking at a visor with a projected image so close up to your eyes.

[cybereality]

It would be interesting to see but would the eyes be able to focus on such a close image? I think this is why all hmd optics make the object look more distant. Maybe using small credit card size fresnel lenses would be usefull but also ghetto becuase of the lines.

I don't think credit card fresnels will work. I bought some to try to mod the VR920 and it didn't work at all. There wasn't enough throw distance to focus the image so all it did was make things blurry. In theory it seems like it could work but I think we need more expensive possibly custom optics.

[smoothy]

I was thinking why don't we ask LeepVR if they could lend us one of their optics for our project or help by contributing technically on to our project?

[crim3]

I was thinking why don't we ask LeepVR if they could lend us one of their optics for our project or help by contributing technically on to our project?

You could just explain them what you are trying to build and ask for some advice. There is very kind people there, I'm sure they will throw some light about all this.

[smoothy]

It would be a shame to let these ideas we have in here slip by, I hope we can continue working on this. Is anyone making any test units themselves? Let's continue development on this and brainstorm ideas?

[Okta]

Dont know if this was posted yet http://www.kopin.com/commercial-display-products/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SXGA $3600 plus $90 driver each!!

No wonder there are no consumer hmds with this res.

[snarfbot]

theres a lens in your eye that focuses, its very uncomfortable and for some people impossible to focus on things an inch away from their eye. so even if your eyes were converging on something at infinity they still have to make each lens focus on something too close for comfort.

anyway the only way i can see this done cheaply would be really ugly but it could work

you would need that laser projector mounted on your head, a curved screen a solid 2 feet wide and a foot tall curved around your head suspended a good 6+ inches away from your face. that way you wouldnt need any optics to focus on it.

the screen could be very lightwieght since all it has to do is reflect light, but it would still be very awkward and goofy looking, for 3d you could use shutters, and it would cover most of your fov.

think something more like a welders mask than a bikers helmet but alot bigger and youll get a good idea of what im imagining.

anyway its doable

[Okta]

How about using cheap lcd phone screens for a hmd? They are getting higher resolution all the time and are very cheap and available. All you need is someone that knows how to wire up a driver and cable for a pc.

[martinlandau]

Looking at those apple patent applications, they seem to have covered all the bases. doesn't weigh much, not too hot, hopefully the optics will make for low eyestrain and wide FOV.

I wonder how all that bending in the prisms is going to affect the image, brightness, clarity, etcetc?

[crim3]

Maybe a miniature version of this using a picoprojector?

The source:
Mike's flight deck -> Mirror collimated displays