Scalar, eMagin showcase HMD and microdisplay creations

It's no secret that we most any sane individuals give the gaudy head-mounted displays of today a hard time for being so socially destructive, but a pair of companies have unveiled separate creations that look to make these things a bit less noticeable when perched on your face. eMagin's prototype SVGA-3DS microdisplay (shown after the jump) comes in at a minuscule 0.44-inches, relies on OLED-on-silicon technology, touts impressively low power consumption, and can reportedly show off an 800 x 600 resolution image. Over in Japan, Scalar is back on the scene with its Teleglass T3-F, which projects a virtual image of a 28-inch display two meters ahead of the viewer. The device mounts on the arm of your glasses, sports a 0.24-inch WVGA transmissive LCD, operates nearly four hours on two AA batteries, only covers one eye (baby steps, folks), and is fully retractable for those times when you actually need to converse with people without completely frightening them away. eMagin's invention is still being tweaked before official release, but citizens residing across the seas can pick up Scalar's latest right now for a stiff ¥98,000 ($808).

[Via I4U]
Read - eMagin's SVGA-3DS microdisplay
Read - Scalar's Teleglass T3-F

[Gabe McGuinness @ May 23rd 2007 10:09AM]

Combine this with the OQO 2, and you've got wearable computing at its best, just don't try it while driving.

/first comment

[aeo @ May 23rd 2007 10:56AM]

Glasses? So anybody that wants to wear one of these is by default, a nerd, and thus would probably wear glasses? Market for your demographic I guess. 8)

[Chrisboff @ May 23rd 2007 11:27AM]

I wanna have glasses now!

[patsy @ May 23rd 2007 11:42AM]

Well, they are also working on a contact lens version for the fashion conscious, though I don't know if having a cable hanging out of your eye is any more desirable.

[Bilby @ May 23rd 2007 11:29AM]

I look forward to the day when I can combine micro form factor PC, wifi / wireless data card, and this, and go full gargoyle in my daily life.


/doesn't deliver pizza for the mafia... but probably would...

[ThePete @ May 23rd 2007 12:51PM]

So close and yet... so expensive!

HMDs (or some other kind of personal HUDs - PHUDs?)are the way of the future and I'm really kind of surprised that companies haven't made more progress down this road. Ah well... the future is bound to show up eventually...

[Eric Geppner @ May 24th 2007 12:10AM]

I swear I remember someone developing picowatt lasers that they used to literally drawn the image directly on the retina. IIRC it was pretty low res maybe only 1024x768 but they were talking about ramping up the scanning speed so that you could address each rod of and cone. This was like ten years ago.

[Mark @ May 23rd 2007 1:24PM]

Five years from now, you're going to have sunglasses that are nearly indistinguishable from an ordinary pair, but which are hooked via wireless USB to a PC/GPS (PDA sized or smaller) that you can keep in your pocket, backpack, etc. You'll have a personal HUD that can point the way to the nearest Chinese food, show you the manual for the software you're using, or pop an icon over the head of the person you're trying to meet at an airport.

All the technologies are already there, it's just a wait to get them cheap enough and light enough for ubiquitous, unobtrusive use.

[Harbinger @ May 23rd 2007 5:06PM]

Well said Mark.

[James @ May 23rd 2007 6:26PM]

aeo, not everyone can wear contacts or afford Lasik. Must be nice having perfect vision.

[sprice82 @ May 23rd 2007 6:41PM]

It is like having all the fetures of second life on you where ever you go.