3D display solves eye fatigue for AR and VR comfort

• News

• 28/06/2017

A new type of 3D display is tackling concerns about eye fatigue caused by much hyped VR headsets and AR glasses.

The display module, developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), could extend periods that AR and VR technologies could be accessed and improve comfort for users. 

To achieve this, researchers at the American university are creating 3D images using optical mapping. 

According to the university:
“This is done by dividing a digital display into subpanels that each create a 2D picture. The subpanel images are shifted to different depths while the centres of all the images are aligned with one another. This makes it appear as if each image is at a different depth when a user looks through the eyepiece. The researchers also created an algorithm that blends the images, so that the depths appear continuous, creating a unified 3D image.”
“We want to replace currently used AR and VR optical display modules with our 3D display to get rid of eye fatigue problems,” said Liang Gao, from UIUC. “Our method could lead to a new generation of 3D displays that can be integrated into any type of AR glasses or VR headset.”

Gao and Wei Cui have reported their findings in The Optical Society (OSA) journal Optics Letters. 

More information from The Optical Society