(Commonwealth union)_Our smartphones and laptops will no longer be the primary means of communication with the metaverse. To truly integrate the constructed and the real world, however, augmented reality (AR) devices are needed as opposed to virtual reality (VR) headsets.
The ultimate goal is for virtual and physical worlds to coexist inseparably, with immersive interactions between them altering how we experience physical presence. And while the hardware still faces many challenges, the software is almost complete.
Social acceptance is a benchmark for the augmented and virtual reality device businesses, and without advancements in sensor, display, and optics technology, AR and VR headgear won’t be stylish enough to do so. True augmented reality (AR) glasses are still far from being able to compete with Ray-Bans in terms of design or ability to display IMAX-quality visuals, despite billions of dollars being put into development.
While acknowledging that they were years away from commercial success, Meta (previously Facebook) launched its AR glasses project at the same time as its name change. Robocop is occasionally used as an analogy for VR headsets because only the most advanced models begin to blur the distinctions between reality and virtual reality.
The ultimate objective is a lightweight, comfortable device that you can wear all day and transition between AR and VR while allowing for real-world interactions with other users of the metaverse. Even more fascinating advancements and challenging problems are being faced in the hardware development needed to build this imagined technology.
Putting a screen directly in front of your eyes makes items visible that we would otherwise miss whether using a phone or watching TV. The screen door effect, a phenomenon where pixels appear to be spaced apart, and the rule of thumb that 60 pixels per degree (ppd) of field of vision are needed for VR or AR to start appearing realistic, which places high demands on resolution.
Additionally, optics is needed to properly focus and scale these images for our eyes. As a point of comparison, the iPhone 13 Pro Max screen has a maximum brightness of 1200 nits. In the case of AR, these optics are exceedingly inefficient, resulting in brightness demands in the millions of nits.
The use of microLED screens in AR and VR is a promising development. They can have astronomical brightness levels (JadeBird makes one for AR applications with a maximum brightness level of 3m nits), do not experience burn-in like OLED displays, and allow for extremely small pixel sizes. For example, Mojo Vision makes a nanoLED display that is small enough to fit inside a contact lens and has a subpixel pitch of 900nm.
There is one important problem, though: blue microLEDs are substantially more effective than other colours in producing full-colour images than microOLED microdisplays are. The preferred approach here is quantum dot colour conversion, which turns blue light into red and green. These quantum dots can be lithographically shaped or inkjet printer.
There are still issues with durability and the use of heavy metals in many formulations, especially in very brilliant microdisplays. In the research “Micro-LED Displays 2021-2031: Technology, Commercialisation, Opportunity, Market and Players,” IDTechEx provided a detailed timetable for the development of microLED displays.
