Olympus developing completely wireless head-mounted displays

Olympus is planning on taking head-mounted displays out of the "giant nerd" category and into the "scary dystopian future" realm with a new project to develop a completely wireless system that can also double as eyeglasses. While most other HMDs we've seen feature a cable snaking across your body to an external power pack, Olympus has expanded on its previous efforts (pictured) and is already prototyping a 3-ounce unit with an internal power source powering two side-mounted 110,000-pixel displays that project email onto the lenses. Olympus is optimistically hoping to bring the tech to market in 2012 -- looks like wannabe Terminators are going to be lugging those battery packs around for a while yet.

[Corey H @ Jul 12th 2007 4:30PM]

I can't wait till I can re-enact an FPS style HUD while walking around in a shopping mall Lawlz.

Corey

[Jack @ Jul 12th 2007 4:38PM]

shooting up your local high school will never have been so easy!

[ssuk @ Jul 12th 2007 4:41PM]

Using this... HUD like we have in games for real-life doesn't seem that far-fetched now...

[devid @ Jul 12th 2007 5:53PM]

im worried about retina burn-in

[GameboyRMH @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:51AM]

This could turn Laser Tag into an awesome, massively multiplayer online game :D Recall the (unfortunately) banned Xbox 360 ad :D

[blueeyesm @ Jul 12th 2007 4:51PM]

Finally - I've been surmising that this would be developed in this style.

I'd so wear these if they could be designed to take into account myopic-sighted people and add, say, contain built-in cameras with zooming effects, and say, support for iPhone-like devices, PCs, etc.

[Jeff C @ Jul 12th 2007 5:07PM]

iPhone-like devices...would those be cellphones, mp3 players and PDAs?

[ryanworrell @ Jul 12th 2007 5:15PM]

I read it as "Things Made By Apple" :-)

AKA "All your moniez are belong to Steve Jobz!!111"

[blueeyesm @ Jul 12th 2007 8:03PM]

Jeff C,

Any device (not just made by Apple) that is a multi-function electronic communication gadget.

Funny how ryanworrell (probably under-20, gauging by the tone of his remark) comes across as though he assumes that if one person mentions an Apple product, he assumes a poster is an Apple fanboy. Also - notice how I mentioned PCs, etc Ryan?

If the Razr could support this kind of device, I'd buy that. If Logitech released a device capable of maximizing the usage of this tech, I'd buy it.

[ryanworrell @ Jul 12th 2007 5:14PM]

"I'll be back!"

[Gadgetgirl22 @ Jul 12th 2007 10:04PM]

I think that this would be dangerous just walking around reading your email or watching a video. But gaming? Ahhh, that would be great.

[Katie @ Jul 12th 2007 10:05PM]

P.S. But eventually you know you'll have to turn it off and use the force to blow up the Death Star.

[JMark @ Jul 13th 2007 1:39PM]

2012? The End of Times for Mayans and several other cultures? Maybe this is Olympus-speak for "Yeah, right."