ULTRA-vis
Latest
DARPA flaunts wearable display with Oculus-like head-tracking
DARPA has long sought a heads-up display to give soldiers situational awareness without distracting them, and it looks like technology has finally caught up to that ambition. It recently unveiled a new ULTRA-Vis prototype at its DARPA Demo Days, saying the breakthrough was a "holographic wave guide" display. Similar to how the Oculus Rift headset works (but not in 3D), it'll project color images locked to the terrain -- even if you move your head -- thanks to motion-sensing and GPS systems. For instance, targeting icons will stay fixed on enemy or friendly positions, even tracking targets behind GIs with a 360-degree ring-like display. It'll also allow soldiers to communicate with each other, their base camp or air support, and play drone video in the display. Like similar projects, the prototype is far from battle-ready, but will function as a test-bed for all of DARPA's wild ideas until the final design is complete. [Image credit: Breaking Defense]
Lockheed Martin and Microvision developing wearable displays for DARPA
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.
