Understanding Displays and Optics Requirements to Take AR/VR Mainstream

After laptops came tablets, which evolved to resemble laptops; then smartphones arrived, which evolved to be like tablets. So what is next for computing, entertainment, or any application that currently uses laptops, tablets, and smartphones? Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) devices could be contenders. Promoters of VR and AR technologies not only hope to create new applications in the metaverse, but to displace some existing devices with something better. As with many consumer electronics applications, new applications follow a hype cycle before reality sets in, and sometimes the reality is even better than what was imagined at the peak of the hype cycle. Irrespective of the curve that AR/VR devices could follow, they are here to stay. Virtually every major consumer electronics company, every major display company, and thousands of smaller companies have invested many years and billions of dollars in taking the idea of AR/VR down the path toward commercial reality. When people ask if it's there yet, our answer is that we have been shipping OLED microdisplays into these and other medical, industrial, and military applications for a long time. It's taking longer to achieve consumer mass market success, but we believe it will. To forecast where we are going, it is important to understand the current state of the industry and goals for the future. This requires a careful assessment of optics and display technologies as they stand today so we can understand the hurdles and focus on overcoming them. With this in mind, we invited an article, “Advanced VR and AR Displays: Improving the User Experience,” from Changhee Lee, corporate EVP and head of R&D at Samsung Display. Together with his colleagues, Lee examines the human visual system and highlights the goals and challenges of designing for AR and VR applications. Samsung's experience as an industry leader in display technology helps us provide our readers with a deeper look into this topic. We also are fortunate to have Karl Guttag, an industry expert with more than 40 years of experience, overview waveguide optics and display technologies that impact the world of AR, VR, and mixed reality (MR) in “Analyzing Optics’ Pivotal Role in Augmented and Mixed Reality Displays.” Guttag has studied all major waveguide and display technologies and provides descriptions and analyses of each along with informative graphics. There is not a single approach to optics. Each has its benefits and unique features for specific applications within AR and VR. Most waveguides used today aren't meeting industry's expectations in terms of light output. In most cases, more than 90 percent of the light is lost within the system. Similarly with display technologies, liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) technology is well established but has not met expectations in terms of response time, weight, and power. Laser scanning results in inadequate image quality; while OLED technology has a faster response time, but high brightness demands are not quite met in production. Similarly, microLED is emerging with its own set of lab-to-fab challenges. Apart from optics and displays, the system itself is expected to be worn for long durations and needs to be light, ergonomically and aesthetically suitable, and work in untethered environments. It also should provide a variety of content—including both striking visual and high-quality audio. But the industry is not deterred by these challenges. Various industries and applications are eager to have high-quality AR and VR devices deployed to enable new markets and displace existing devices with those that offer greater value. The entertainment industry finds VR devices a natural fit that offer a much better viewing experience. Whether the user is watching a movie or the Super Bowl, the industry wants to immerse users, to provide an experience as if they are in a movie or had courtside seats at a basketball game. Meanwhile, the medical industry wants to use AR devices to aid surgeons, and VR devices could train nurses. Industrial applications also could use AR devices to enhance safety, while the military could use these devices to … well, let's just say the military wants these devices. From computing to communications, from brand experience to balloon rides, the applications are myriad, and these industries are waiting on our industry to fix the technical hurdles and deliver amazing products. And we will. Amal Ghosh is the COO at eMagin Corporation. He is a SID Fellow and received the Karl Ferdinand Braun Prize and SID Special Recognition Award. He earned a PhD degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He may be reached at [email protected]. Sri Peruvemba is an associate editor for Information Display. He is the CEO of Marketer International in the Silicon Valley and works with high-tech companies in board and advisory roles. He may be reached at [email protected].