Avegant has announced a new MR (Mixed Reality) device “Avegant Light Field” by using light field technology for focus adjustment.
This the world’s first focus adjustment which even Microsoft Hololens lacks. It is right if we say “I can experience MR with the same feeling as reality.”
What HoloLens has not realized yet
Speaking of MR devices, Microsoft’s HoloLens has already known the so-called augmented reality. HoloLens can place various kinds of digital information such as windows and 3D models in real-world space.
Avegant insists that these MR devices (including AR devices) have a missing link, which is a light field technology.
The light field is a technology that allows you to adjust the focus. And what is missing in the previous devices is the “focus adjustment.”
When you see things, people focus on the things you want to look at, unintentionally they do not distinguish between surrounding objects and objects behind the scenes and can not concentrate.
Consider the case where you put a 3D model in your hand. In a conventional AR device, when you look at a 3D model, you see a 3D model that is “shown on the display screen.” So, in reality, the hand behind it appears blurry. Conversely, if you look at the side, the 3D model on display will be blurred which produces the more complicated visual experience.
To get a feeling that there is a 3D model, in reality, it is necessary to adjust the focus so that the 3D model and the hand both are at the same distance.
Focus Adjustment Using light field technology to reproduce the depth
“Avegant Light Field” aims at realizing this focus adjustment with MR device using light field technology. The bright field display is a technology that is being studied as one of the future forms in the VR head mount display. And it can reproduce the depth.
“Avegant Light Field” allows users to see 3D models more naturally.
In contrast with the 3D model of Mars in the back. Since the focus on the 3D model shown on the hand and the display is the same, the 3D model becomes a real feeling.
“Avegant Lightfield is a pursuit of how we can perceive and what we see in real life,” says Edward Tang, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Avegant.
Avegant does not finish the project by just moving images to the display for real-world augmentation. But also has developed a headset Avegant Glyph. That Glyph device projects the image directly to the eyes and a headset that enables us to use underwater.
(reference)
Avegant official website, modular