Air Force taps Microvision to develop wearable displays

HMDs may be slow to catch on with the general public (despite some companies best efforts), but the U.S. Air Force certainly seems to be sold on them, awarding Microvision a $3.2 million contract to build 'em some custom gear. Under the deal, the company is promising to deliver a "lightweight, see-through, full-color eyewear display prototype" that's a good deal more "wearable" than some of the displays now in use (as seen above). Eventually, the company says the displays will be as small as protective eyewear or "high-fashion sunglasses." Not surprisingly, the company also foresees a few advantageous side-effects to the deal, saying that it won't only accelerate the available of displays for the military, but for consumer, industrial and medical markets as well.

[Via I4U News]

[jtufano @ May 10th 2007 6:24PM]

ghost recon advanced warfighter much?

[SumYungGai @ May 10th 2007 6:36PM]

As long as its not MACROvision that they're hiring as in the content scrambling company (those guys are A$$HOLES) .. at first that's what I thought.

[ug @ May 10th 2007 6:45PM]

No, it's these guys:

http://www.handheldmuseum.com/MB/MB-MicrovisionUS.jpg

[Kr4t05 @ May 10th 2007 6:45PM]

OVER NINE-THOUSAAAAAAAAAAAND!!!!

[fredouil @ May 10th 2007 7:07PM]

since the begining of the "war on terraaa" billions have spent in various "research" and we have yet to see any result.

it is not my tax money but it is very surprising to see how fundings are inefficient under this administration.

[boomhauer @ May 10th 2007 7:17PM]

wow 3.2m... nada mucho

[Matthew Jackson @ May 11th 2007 5:08PM]

Yeah I think that has got to be for a proof of concept. That is the most ridiculously small budget for any such project I've ever heard of!

[John DunB @ May 10th 2007 7:36PM]

Haha, there's 3 signatures.

[rektide @ May 10th 2007 8:38PM]

i hope the air force doesnt mind waiting. i was looking at building wearable computers back in `00 (hello portable pentium 166) and these guys were going to release kick ass glasses microdisplays at 640x480 and 10bit or better color that summer. They looked like normal glasses with a small prism glued in one of the lenses. Well, then they were going to release them next year, then the year after that, then.... you get the point. Much as was before, their website reads in big bold
'Summer 2007' *snicker*. Just tell me when I can buy it.

Are 22moo and icuiti the same company? I've been looking for 22moo product in the US (their high end VR9xx stuff) but havent found any place to buy it. Perhaps I'm just looking for the wrong gear?

[o29 @ May 10th 2007 9:54PM]

"saying that it won't only accelerate the available of displays for the military"

...huh?

[Brendon @ May 10th 2007 10:24PM]

Bad idea. The screen on my Microvision has bled horribly over the years.

[Tim @ May 11th 2007 7:42AM]

Virtual Boy 2.0?

[kage @ Aug 1st 2007 6:47AM]

its funny, im currently deployed with the air force. and i havent seen anything like that. crap, they didnt even give regular sunglasses. i had to shell out 150 bucks at aafes (base exchange) because apparently panama jack sunglasses are the new high fashion... coulda swore they were 5 bucks at wal mart tho...