BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Laser vision' offers new insights
This article from the BBC opens up fascinating possibilities. Lets get our user interfaces (UI) off of physical objects and put it where the user can see it, in their eye!
A system that projects light beams directly into the eye could change the way we see the world.
US firm Microvision has developed a system that projects lasers onto the retina, allowing users to view images on top of their normal field of vision.
It could allow surgeons to get a bird's eye view of the innards of a patient, offer military units in the field a view of the entire battlefield and provide mechanics with a simulation of the inside of a car's engine.
The system uses tiny lasers, which scan their light onto the retina to produce the entire range of human vision, reported the journal of the Institute of the Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE Spectrum.
I suspect that this kind of “video overlay” will become common, because it offers so many opportunities to improve efficiency. Think of being notified of important details in real time without having to look away from an important task.
I expect people to also have wireless audio receives “whispering” in their ear continuously. There is a lot of information that can be presented in audio and people multi-task between audio and their current tasks right now (anyone drive with the radio on?)
Ultimately, the video projectors and audio receivers will be surgically implanted. If you have one in each eye, the images can be projected stereoscopically and be fully three dimensional. If you have one receiver in each ear you can get positional sound.
Many people will find these visual and audio overlays too distracting. They will be unable to make the jump to living in the “augmented reality.” But, just as some kids happy play blindingly fast video games and happily follow a dozen IM conversations at once, some people will take full advantage of the new information.
Posted by georgegmacdonald at July 17, 2004 11:24 PM