Lockheed Martin and Microvision developing wearable displays for DARPA
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Jul 7th 2009 2:33PM
posted Jul 7th 2009 2:33PM
Sure, working with Motorola for some peacetime pico-projector development is one thing, but if you really want to rake in the bucks, you'd better jump on the military-industrial bandwagon. As a part of DARPA's Urban Leader Tactical Response, Awareness & Visualization project, Lockheed Martin has teamed up with Microvision to develop low-profile see-through eyewear displays for providing "non-line-of-sight command and control in distributed urban operations for dismounted warfighters" based on the latter's PicoP technology. The displays will be low-powered, lightweight, and will deliver real-time content for "increased situational awareness, such as real-time combat support and logistics." Sounds pretty similar to the gear they were selling the Air Force years ago, no? In unrelated news, the company's Vice President of Sales and Marketing is named Ian Brown, although we're guessing it's not the same Ian Brown we saw at the Hammerstein Ballroom four years ago. PR after the break.
Microvision Announces $1M Contract Award from Lockheed Martin Corporation to Develop Low-Profile See-Through Eyewear Displays
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Microvision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS) announced today that it has been awarded a $1,000,000 subcontract by Lockheed Martin Corporation. This subcontract is part of DARPA's Urban Leader Tactical Response, Awareness & Visualization (ULTRA-Vis) program, an advanced technology development initiative, whose objective it is to build a soldier-worn system that provides non-line-of-sight command and control in distributed urban operations for dismounted warfighters. Under the subcontract, Microvision will develop a daylight-readable, see-through, low-profile, ergonomic eyewear display.
DARPA has created the ULTRA-Vis program to bring real-time tactical see-through heads-up information to ground soldiers in order to increase their safety and situational awareness in urban environments. Although tactical information is available to ground soldiers today, existing head-mounted displays and legacy system architectures have prevented this information from being delivered in a low-profile, see-through iconic mode. When integrated to an advanced information management system, Microvision's eyewear display could enable users to receive visual commands, view geo-registered iconic representations, and receive other full-color image content overlaid on their view.
"Microvision is very pleased to work with Lockheed Martin to advance the development of see-through eyewear displays in support of the DARPA ULTRA-Vis program," said Ian Brown, Microvision's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "By designing Microvision's ultra-miniature PicoP® Display Engine and our thin, clear Substrate Guided Relay (SGR) Optics into a wearable display, we have the potential to bring battery operable, low-profile, see-through, full-color eyewear displays to users. This eyewear display development could enable information content to be overlaid in the user's field-of-view in operational environments, providing a critical information advantage. Additionally, this display could be used in other applications, where real-time content is needed to improve situational awareness, such as combat support and logistics."
In before "over 9000".
In the Navy, they have this on the F18 already. I don't understand why its so hard to build a HUD for a helmet nowadays since we have transparent OLED display technology, but frankly, I think it would be better to keep this technology in the aircraft itself on the windshield.
For aircraft that use these target acquisition displays to point missiles and guns, I think the pointing device/boresight should be on the helmet with the rest of it in the craft.
Quantumphysics: The reason it is hard to make a head-worn display is due to physics (optics).
Imagine a pixel on your monitor, a couple feet away from your eye. The light from that pixel is coming out in all directions (well, within nearly 180 degees, anyway). You see it when your eye's lens focuses that point back to a single point on your retina. From a couple feet away, those rays that enter your pupil are not spreading out very much, so it's easy for your lens to converge them back into a point. And since the rays come out in all directions, you can see it from anywhere as long as your eyes can see the front of the monitor.
Now imagine trying to emulate that same pixel, but with an image source that is right in front of your head.
If you just put the pixel an inch in front of your eye, you will not be able to focus on it, since the rays are diverging greatly, and your lens cannot bend enough to focus them back to a point.
You need to take the rays from the pixel and make them into a more parallel beam. So imagine putting a tiny lens in front of the pixel that does just that. It takes the rays spreading from the pixel and makes them into a parallel beam. Now here's the problem: where do you aim that beam? In order for this to work, you need to aim the beam into the pupil, or else it won't be seen.
Really, what you'd like to do is to take the rays from the pixel and make a very wide beam that can be seen even when your headgear moves around a bit with respect to your pupil (or even when you move your pupil as you shift your gaze).
Now, that same optical system needs to work for all the pixels in the image you want to make. The pixel in the upper left needs to become a big beam of rays all aimed at your eye from the upper left, and the pixel in the lower right needs to become a big beam of rays all aimed at your eye from the lower right.
In practice, it is not possible to design a lens system that:
-is compact
-works for a wide field of view
-shows a big, overlapping beam for all the pixels to be viewed.
Typically, field of view is what is given up.
Now, a reflector system, on the other hand, offers more possibilities...
LOL...First
I am sure it is not that Ian Brown, when I saw the pic I was like WTF
um not really...
First to fail :( I spent too long gawping at the weird picture
DARPA makes some of the craziest stuff.
...and wastes lots of taxpayer monies.
Come with me if you want to live...if you can afford to.
"...and wastes lots of taxpayer monies"
I think most would disagree. Since DARPA is run like a Venture Capitalism company, they are one of the most efficient (if not the most efficient) government organization. The technology that is produced from DARPA is incredibly advanced and most of it can be applied to all aspects of life. Just run a search on the things they have done.
I was just guessing.
Name: Patrick
Profession: Junior manager DARPA Public Relations/money-laundering department.
the one thing i never understood about these technologies is what happens if the equipment is captured during battle. wouldn't the enemy then get all this crazy information about battleplans and tactics?
Not to mention all our MP3s
this HUD will self destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...
....
....
*awkward silence
dammit the self detonator was made in china.
Long time ago there I saw a thing about some US army guys dying in a command center in europe because the self-destruct was initiated by accident, so it sounds like a joke but some army installations at least actually do have self-destruct it seems.
As for such communication/information device, perhaps they need a periodic code entered or received to remain functional? I'm sure they have procedures for it.
will this allow the US Army to enable aimbots and wallhacks?
In a house to house combat situation I can just see someone on the other side yelling "He's Chamming!!! I'm gunna report you!"
Space exploration for nuclear stations
NASA corrupters, jewelled abductors
Space exploration, excursion to the stars
On a military mission on a military mission to Mars
I'll see you in my star
I'll see you in my star
Wow... Nice catch, Jonathan... At first I thought "Ian Brown, out of nowhere! What is that about?" but then I saw your post
Hahahaha who would want to wear that on their head in the first place?
(tech)
Seeing in the dark, having lables over friendlies, possible computer assistance in identification of targets, heat vision, following invisible waypoints, laser targeting, and switching between all of the aforementioned without hitting a button. I wouldn't mind having one in my deathmobile....er...car. Now, if I could just hook it up to my cell phone and remote in to my home PC...
Haven't you ever thought the world might be a little more interesting when you could look at your co-workers with a nude.patch overlay on them? Hey, I could put Megan Fox's body on your mom too! ;p
hmm DARPA makes the craziest shit. i bet like 20 yrs from now, we will have like commerical phones with the holograpic tech that darpa has.
DARPA finances the craziest shit.you mean to say.
Wallhacks here we come.
hail the monkey king
Cool, but Joseph, Why Ian brown ?
I take that back apparently i cant read :) FAIL for me!
i'm glad to know that i'm not the only one who immediately thought "vegeta, what does the scouter say?!?"
"We're International, We're Continen'al...Stone Rrrroooosssseessss...."
Learn, my intercontinental chums, of the magic of the Madchester generation. They will stand up and TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!
Microvision has been trying to develop wearable displays for the last 9 years at least.
Peacetime? Aren't we still in Iraq? Just thought I'd point that out.
We're not at war. It's a "Police Action".........
Newsflash: You defeated sadam's army, and installed a new government, and if you were at war you'd be shooting those leaders not having dinner parties.
Of course there is some violence in the process of suppressing people, but that's not a war, the war ended years ago.
Now afghanistan is slightly different, since the US/NATO never controlled anything but a few villages and forts and the enemy is organised in what can almost seen as an army, and were never really defeated.
Scott Mitchell already has one of these!
Kinda makes you want to play GRAW again doesn't it.
I gotta get me one of them there Military Contracts, Yo.
I want this on my for my computer and phone.
I wouldn't mind wearing this when playing games. It would be like the Screen on the G15 or the G19 but you don't have to look down.
Until we get things that look like the scout from dragon ball z or things that fit sunglasses, people are just going to keep ignoring these things. But really once these things take off I can see a whole bunch of different applications for it.
ghost recon beat ya to it!
It's a 1 Million Dollar contract,....Yay they can make 1 of these, if that.
Stone Roses forever!
I'll take shoegazers over madchester anyday.
You know every soldier of the US army already has the socket for the nightvison thingy on their helmet, and every apache pilot already has the HUD eyepiece for years and years.
Now' I'm off to ask a few hundred million from DARPA for my idea of a portable tube that directs lead slugs at high speed at enemies after being accelerated by exploding powder, it'll revolutionise wars.
Tiger R-Zone!!!
you have no chance to survive make your time.