Integrated Vision

Nick Harrison, July 2009

We have been speaking for some time about the exciting possibilities presented by Head-Up Display (HUD) technology, and a team of scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden , Germany , appears determined to bring this concept even closer to a practical reality.

Head-up displays have been used for some time in military aviation, in order to display real-time information in the pilot’s field of vision, removing the need to look around the cockpit for instruments and dials.  This technology was then implemented in commercial aviation, enabling benefits such as more accurate landings and take-offs in adverse weather conditions.  

Most recently, HUDs have been built into commercial automobiles, with Lexus and Toyota among the first manufacturers to implement the systems.  Information like speed, fuel efficiency, and satellite navigation instructions can all be displayed discreetly on the actual windscreen, providing extra safety and ease of use for motorists.

These technologies will be increasingly prominent in the consumer market in the coming months and years, but the scientists in Dresden hope to take it to a whole new level of application.  They are working on a system, attached to a pair of glasses,  which incorporates eye tracking to influence HUD content presented to the viewer.  In other words, the user will be able to manipulate and interact with the display by simply moving his eyes to certain points.

 “We want to make eyeglasses bidirectional and interactive so that new areas of application can be opened up,” says Dr. Michael Scholles, business unit manager at IPMS.  A major advantage of these interactive glasses, according to Scholles, will be their ability to provide information at the point of task to people who do not have their hands free to operate a keyboard or mouse.  A mechanic could view machinery through the glasses, or a doctor could even view the human body, with relevant information superimposed at specific points over the real-life scenario being viewed. 

Imagine the ability to view a sports match where the players were highlighted as they moved, and relevant statistics displayed.  You could walk down a high street, and pertinent information about shops, restaurants and products could be shown in your field of vision by simply looking at the shop.

The phenomenon of digital information and graphics interacting with real life is known as Augmented Reality, and is being developed by scientists in several fields.  A Dutch software company, SPRX Mobile, through its mobile phone browser Layar, takes the sort of GPS points-of-interest data, like ATMs, tourist attractions, houses for sale or nearby hotspots, and displays them overlaid on the landscape as seen through the camera lens.

The possibilities for this kind of technology are vast, prompting significant advancement of the debate about interaction between humans and machines.  Head-up display and augmented reality may eventually be contained within contact lenses, for instance, and this technology could become as ubiquitous as the Bluetooth headset.  Are we likely to leave behind what makes us human, as we rely more heavily on intelligent devices?