SBIR-STTR Award

In response to the need for new high-performance immersive display technology, nvision proposes to develop a new state-of-the-art head-mounted display utilizing lightweight projection optics and high-resolution microdisplays. Prototypes of this device have been developed and tested at the School of Optics/CREOL at the University of Central Florida. The technology has the potential to deliver a field-of-view greater than 100 per eye using optical components weighing only a fraction of conventional eyepiece optics used in existing head-mounted displays. In addition to weight and performance, another issue limiting immersive display technology today is mobility. Users are typically restricted to a radius of less than 6 meters, tethered to bulky and awkward cables. Current wireless systems are limited to low-resolution broadcast video standards. As an optional Phase 1 effort, nvision proposes a collaboration with the Integrated Media Systems Center of the University of Southern California. This will leverage their research and current off-the-shelf networking components and software to develop a new digital interface that would extend the range immediately by using an Ethernet interface to transmit video, audio, and other data, over a small LAN. This technology would have far-reaching benefits by allowing integration with emerging wireless LAN technologies.

Benefit:
The goal for Phase 1 of this project is to investigate the design of an affordable, lightweight, wide field-of-view immersive display. In addition to high-fidelity military applications such as Close Quarters Battle training, other industries will find this new technology appealing. Product engineers can benefit from 3D collaborative design, exploring complex assemblies and interacting with movable parts. Architects will have an economically compelling solution for offering a virtual walk-through of home and office space interiors prior to construction. Automotive designers will have an alternative to the large, expensive projector walls used today and allow themselves and their managers a more interactive, collaborative environment to analyze design options. Augmented reality applications such as medical visualization will benefit from the intrinsically correct occlusion of virtual objects by real objects unique to the head-mounted projection optics proposed. And entertainment applications, such as those found at DisneyQuest, using an HMD provided by nvision, will take advantage of a wide field-of-view, user friendly design. Finally, an affordable immersive display with these specifications will support new ideas for virtual reality applications by allowing more developers access to the technology. The optional Phase 1 effort will study the feasibility for a new network-based digital interface using off-the-shelf components and software. An Ethernet interface will extend benefits for all VR applications by removing restrictions inherent in existing tethered systems that limit the range of operation with bulky and awkward cabling. Moreover, there are potential benefits beyond VR applications. By implementing Ethernet with off-the-shelf protocols, this interface promises to scale to emerging wireless LAN technologies, enabling a generalized high-bandwidth mobile audio/video access point throughout an office or home.

Keywords:
virtual, virtual, Reality, HMPD, HMD, Simulation, immersive, Training, VR

The NVIS/UCF team conceptualized an advanced HMD design using traditional pancake optics and recently patented diffractive optical elements to create a new optical layout that will advance the state-of-the-art of today''''s immersive display technology. The completed Phase I research validated the feasibility of this new HMD design for the Close Quarter Battle simulator being developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) under the Office of Naval Research. The proposed HMD provides the user with 1280x1024 24-bit color pixels per eye across a total horizontal field-of-view of 100 degrees by a vertical field-of-view of 68 degrees. Funding for the Phase II Base Effort will allow NVIS and the optical engineers from UCF to optimize this design for fabrication and manufacture one prototype for NRL. Follow on funding for the proposed Option will allow the NVIS team to pursue emerging technologies that may prove to further lighten and reduce the overall size of the HMD, ensuring the design remains state-of-the-art for transition into Phase III. Benefit The CQB application is an urban combat simulator and as such, it requires an extremely immersive HMD with excellent ergonomics. The proposed HMD was designed specifically for this demanding training environment. The same parameters that make the proposed HMD suitable for urban combat training; i.e., optimized form-factor and weight, wide field-of-view, and a high contrast, high resolution image, will allow it to be widely accepted across DOD and other government agencies to replace existing HMD products being used for applications ranging from tank simulators, ship-handling trainers, and astronaut spacewalk training. In the private sector, automotive manufactures are currently using HMDs for designing automotive interiors and simulating human interaction within the vehicle. Similar systems are in use for heavy equipment manufactures. A wide field-of-view HMD would be of great interest to enhance the realism of the simulation for these applications. Keywords display, HMPD, HMD, immersive, Simulation, virtual, Head-mounted, VR, Reality, training