[ENG] [Tech.] AR Glass

=====AR Glass Definition=====

AR Glass is an abbreviation of Augmented Reality Glass, which is a glasses-type device for realizing augmented reality (AR).

 

=====AR, VR, XR, MR Commonalities and Differences=====

AR provides mixed reality by adding virtual elements to the real world, while VR provides a completely virtual world. XR is an umbrella term that covers both mixed reality and virtual reality, while MR is a type of mixed reality that includes real-time information about the user's environment.

 

=====Trend of AR, VR, XR, MR=====

AR, VR, XR, and MR are all growing rapidly in the market, and VR and AR in particular are used in various industries such as gaming, entertainment, education, medical, and manufacturing.

 

=====AR Glass development status and direction=====

AR Glass is being developed by several companies, including Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook. Currently, it has not yet been commercialized due to technical limitations and usability problems, but it is highly likely to develop along with technological development. The future direction of AR technology is a lighter and more efficient hardware technology, a display technology with high definition and a wide viewing angle, and a fast There are software technologies that ensure data processing and low power consumption at the same time. In addition, it is necessary to develop AR devices that can provide a more intuitive and natural user experience by combining various technologies such as sensor technology, voice recognition technology, and gesture recognition technology.

 

=====AR Glass composition and shape=====

AR Glass consists of a display, camera, sensor, computing device, battery, etc. The shape of AR Glass is similar to regular glasses, but it is thicker and heavier than regular glasses. Recently, it is changing to the form of sports glasses and goggles.

 

====AR Glass Light Source=====

AR Glass light sources include LCD, OLED, laser, and LED.

 

=====AR Glass Advantages/Disadvantages=====

[Advantages]

The advantage of AR Glass is that it can provide a more intuitive and effective experience by fusing the real and virtual worlds. In addition, it is portable, can be used anytime, anywhere, and is easy to operate. In other words, it can be used in various fields and can increase work efficiency by providing information in real time.

In addition, you can experience a virtual space or provide a new experience that fuses reality and virtuality. As information is provided in real time through augmented reality technology, it can increase efficiency in work or study.

Easy accessibility and high portability allow users to use it easily.

Supports hands-free function, so you can use it while doing other things. information can be obtained. Augmented reality technology can provide the same experience as you actually feel, so you can provide a more realistic experience.

 

[Disadvantage]

However, AR Glass still has the following drawbacks. As for the disadvantages, there are still difficulties in daily use due to technical limitations and usability problems, and there are also problems such as high price, safety problems, and charging time. And due to current technical limitations, there are low resolution, short battery life, wearing discomfort due to heavy weight, or privacy issues. Improving AR Glass requires better display technology, lighter weight and improved battery life, and more efficient UI/UX.

Due to its high price, it is difficult for ordinary consumers to use it. There are concerns about safety as it may strain the user's eyes. As the technology is currently immature, there is a lot of room for improvement. There are many areas for improvement, such as the need to develop improved voice and gesture recognition technology.

AR Glass is one of the future technologies and is expected to see further development. However, there are still limitations of the technology so far, so more advanced technology and improved user experience will be required.

 

=====The need for improved AR Glass=====

AR Glass needs to improve the technical problems of combining the user's view and the real world and inserting virtual objects naturally. In addition, the design should be improved to be lighter and more portable, and problems such as high price, charging time, and safety should also be improved. That being said, improvements that need to be made to advance AR Glass include better battery life, a lighter design, improved sensors and tracking technology, and better voice and gesture recognition technology. In addition, improving the user experience so that users can use AR Glass conveniently is an important task.

 

=====AR Glass application area=====

1. Industry: AR Glass can be used in manufacturing, construction, aviation and space industries, etc.

In the manufacturing industry, installation and maintenance work can be performed more efficiently through AR Glass, and in the construction industry, design and actual construction work can be performed more efficiently.

2. Aviation and space industry: Existing complex tasks can be simplified through AR Glass.

3. Medical field: AR Glass can also be used in the medical field. Medical staff can manage patients' medical records and information more efficiently through AR Glass, and provide necessary information during surgery in real time.

4. Education: AR Glass can also be used in education. Students can acquire visual knowledge more easily and experience the virtual world through AR Glass.

5. Entertainment: AR Glass can also be used in entertainment. In entertainment industries such as games,

AR Glass can be used to develop new games.

The development of AR Glass and Waveguide technology is expected to bring about innovative changes in many more fields. However, it must evolve with active research and development, security and privacy protection in mind. The development of these technologies will lead to changes in future industries and provide new values to people's lives.

 

===== Types of AR Glass light sources and their pros and cons=====

1. Micro LED (Micro LED)

2. LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon)

3. DLP (Digital Light Processing)

 

1. Micro LED (Micro LED)

Micro LED is a display technology made by directly placing small and bright LED chips. AR Glass is mainly used in projection displays. Micro LED has great advantages in terms of portability and brightness. In addition, it can make a great contribution to improving the performance of AR Glass because of its fast response speed and high energy efficiency.

However, there are still difficulties in commercialization due to productivity and price problems.

Pros: fast response time high brightness and resolution high energy efficiency Disadvantages: High cost due to low productivity Many technical problems with product production Somewhat insufficient color expression

 

2. LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon)

LCOS is a technology created by placing liquid crystals directly on an optical level for display. It is used in reflective displays and is mainly used in small devices. LCOS is suitable for AR Glass because it can provide high resolution with low power consumption. However, the brightness and color expression are limited, and the product productivity is low, so there is a price problem. Advantages: Low power consumption Can provide high resolution Suitable for making small displays Disadvantages: Brightness and color expression are limited, productivity is low, and price is a problem

 

3. DLP (Digital Light Processing)

DLP is a digital image processing technology that uses a combination of reflective mirrors and light for display.

AR Glass is mainly used in projection displays. Advantages: High brightness and contrast, excellent portability, high resolution, color expression using multiplexer Disadvantages: DLP has a complex mechanical structure, requires cooling due to high power consumption and heat generation. Disadvantages are its size and weight are relatively large. Disadvantages that it is not suitable for use with AR Glass located close to the user's eyes (limited viewing angle).

 

=====Wave Guide Structure=====

Waveguide technology consists of displays, lenses, reflective mirrors and light guides.

 

=====Wave What could be improved? =====

Waveguide technology is still in the difficult stage of commercialization, and development of better optical technology, displays, and computer interfaces is required. In addition, the biggest problem with current waveguide technology is the difficulty of the manufacturing process. It is necessary to develop better manufacturing processes to increase product productivity. In other words, Waveguide technology is currently evaluated as one of the most important optical technologies applied to AR/VR devices such as AR Glass. Unlike conventional optical technologies, the principle of bending light can be used to make displays smaller, lighter, and provide better viewing angles and resolutions. Accordingly, it plays a very important role in the development of AR/VR devices such as AR Glass. However, many problems remain as it has not yet reached the commercialization stage, and further development is required. Therefore, it is necessary to further develop Waveguide technology that utilizes a principle different from the existing optical technology and to make better AR/VR devices.

 

=====Representative technologies of VR and AR=====

Key element technologies of VR : Virtual reality environment creation and simulation technology, sensing and tracking technology, video synthesis technology, real-time VR interaction technology

Key element technologies of AR : Augmented reality technology, augmented interaction technology, recognition and tracking technology, display technology

MR technology : A technology that provides a new experience by converging virtual and real. Major technologies include virtual reality and augmented reality technology, recognition and tracking technology, and display technology. , is evolving into providing an immersive experience. In addition, augmented reality technology is evolving to provide more realistic interaction capabilities, along with more accurate and faster tracking and recognition technology. In the world of VR/AR technology, various key element technologies are used. In VR technology, virtual reality environment creation and simulation technology, sensing and tracking technology, and image synthesis technology play an important role. In AR technology, realtime AR interaction technology, sensing and tracking technology, and image compositing technology are major technological elements.

MR technology is a technology that creates mixed reality through a combination of VR and AR technologies. In addition, there are many examples of content creation using VR/AR technology. In the game industry, VR/AR technology is used to create more innovative games, and in the education field, VR/AR content is used to help students learn more vividly.

In addition, in the industrial field, there are various application fields such as increasing productivity and creating a safe working environment by utilizing VR/AR technology.

Glasses type display (EGD) and Digital Graffiti Canvas are representative products that apply VR/AR technology.

EGD is a product that provides a virtual reality environment through a display built into glasses, and is used in various fields such as games and education. Digital Graffiti Canvas is a product that allows you to draw virtual graffiti on surfaces such as buildings and walls using AR technology.

In addition, various products are being developed using VR/AR technology.

 

[Summary]

Overall, AR technology continues to be researched and developed, opening up new industries. However, technical problems that have not yet been commercialized must be overcome, and convergence technologies and services must be provided according to user experience and industrial needs as well as technology development. As AR technology develops further, it is expected to bring great changes to our lives, which will provide new possibilities.

However, AR Glass and Waveguide technologies are currently difficult to commercialize due to technical limitations and difficulties in the manufacturing process, but better technologies and manufacturing processes are expected to be developed along with the development of the industry.

As AR Glass and Waveguide technologies develop, more advanced services and products are expected to emerge in new fields such as AR, VR, MR, and XR. As AR Glass and Waveguide technologies develop, their potential for use in various industries increases. For example, in the manufacturing sector, AR Glass can help workers perform their work processes more efficiently. In the medical field, doctors can perform diagnosis and surgery more accurately by using AR Glass. In addition, in the field of education, AR Glass can be used to create educational contents that can virtually experience real objects or scenes. However, many challenges remain in the development of AR Glass and Waveguide technology.

Technical issues such as better displays, lenses and manufacturing processes need to be addressed. In addition, issues such as privacy protection must be actively considered.

While solving these challenges, it is expected that AR Glass and Waveguide technologies will become more mature and can be further utilized in various fields. The following improvements are required for the advancement of AR Glass and Waveguide technology.

 

1. Improved display and lens: Current AR Glass has problems with low resolution and eye strain.

2. We need to develop improved display and lens technology to improve resolution and viewing angle.

3. Improved sensor technology: The ability of AR Glass to sense the real environment needs to be improved. For this, better sensor technology needs to be developed.

4. Improved voice recognition technology: AR Glass works by receiving voice commands, but current voice recognition technology is not perfect. We need to improve the user experience by developing better speech recognition technology. 5. Security and privacy

: Security and privacy issues are important because AR Glass can be used to collect and process personal information. This requires establishing an active security and privacy policy.

6. Price: Currently, AR Glass is an expensive product and maintains only limited demand. We need to develop technology to lower the price.

7. AR Glass and Waveguide technologies are currently being used in various industries and are expected to develop to a higher level in the future. However, there are many challenges to be improved, so it is important to actively invest in technology development and cooperate. AR Glass and Waveguide technology are expected to be used in various fields of industry and daily life in the future.

 

=====Terms=====

Augmented Reality (AR): A term for augmented reality, a technology that expands the real world to show virtual information Smart Glasses: Smart glasses are glasses with AR function

 

Head-Mounted Display (HMD): A display device worn on the head.

 

Optical See-Through AR: An optical transmissive AR technology that shows virtual objects on the display while preserving the external environment.

 

Video See-Through AR: A video see-through AR technology, a technology that synthesizes and displays virtual objects on top of images taken with a camera. Marker-Based AR: AR technology that recognizes markers and displays virtual objects.

 

Markerless AR: AR technology that recognizes the environment and displays virtual objects without markers

 

SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) AR: A technology that recognizes the environment in real time using a camera or sensor and locates a virtual object based on it.

 

Handheld AR: A technology that implements AR using portable devices such as smartphones and tablets.

 

Head-Mounted AR: A technology that uses glasses-type devices worn on the head to implement AR

 

Spatial AR: Technology that places virtual objects in real space and provides interaction using them

 

Projection-Based AR: Technology that projects virtual objects onto a real environment using a projector

 

HMD (Head mounted display): A display worn on the head, used when using mixed reality technologies such as AR or VR.

 

FOV (Field of View): As a term representing the field of view, it means the field of view displayed by the screen of the AR device.

 

Gesture Recognition: With hand gesture recognition technology, AR devices can recognize and control hand gestures.

 

Depth Sensor: A sensor that recognizes space by measuring distance. Used to adjust the position of virtual and real objects in AR environment

 

AR Cloud: A technology that uses cloud services to store and share virtual objects and related information used in AR devices

 

VIO (Visual Inertial Odometry): A technique for position estimation using a camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.

Used in conjunction with SLAM to enable accurate location tracking in AR devices. Spatial Computing: A technology that recognizes real space and synthesizes virtual objects by converging mixed reality technologies such as AR, VR, and MR with AI and IoT.

 

AR Avatar: A technology that recognizes the appearance of a real person and presents it in the virtual world. Manufactured using 3D scanning technology

 

LBS (Location-Based Service): As a service based on location information, AR enables information provision or interaction based on the current location.

 

Hand Tracking: A technology that recognizes hand movements, which is used in AR to manipulate or interact with virtual objects with hands.

 

Holographic Display: A holographic display, a technology that expresses three-dimensional virtual objects.

 

Optical Waveguide: With a structure similar to an optical fiber, it is an optical technology for projecting virtual objects on AR Glass.

 

Hand Gesture Recognition: As a hand gesture recognition technology, it is a technology to operate AR Glass with hand gestures without touching.

 

Eye Tracking: An eye tracking technology that tracks the user's gaze in AR Glass and performs actions accordingly.

 

Voice Recognition: As a voice recognition technology, AR Glass recognizes a user's voice command and performs an action. Spatial Sound: A spatial sound technology that properly recognizes and reproduces sounds around the user through AR Glass.

 

Tethered AR Glass: AR Glass that operates in connection with external devices, and is connected to external devices for power supply or data transmission.

 

Opaque Display: A technology in which the display screen of AR Glass is completely opaque. This allows users to see virtual objects more vividly.

 

Focal length: The distance from the center of the lens to the focal point. The shorter the focal length of the lens, the wider the magnifying range, and the longer the focal length, the narrower.

 

Aperture: The aperture in a lens controls the amount of light, and the smaller it is, the more light it restricts. A smaller aperture can create a shallow depth of field effect.

 

Focus: The focusing of a lens in a camera depends on the focal length of the lens and the position of the object.

 

Brightness: The amount of light entering a lens is determined by the focal length and the size of the aperture.

 

Zoom: A zoom lens can make objects appear closer or farther by adjusting the focal length.

 

Optical Distortion: Distortion of the shape or size of certain objects in a lens. This depends on the focal length and structure of the lens.

 

Tripod: A piece of equipment that holds the camera in place and prevents movement. Matching the focal length of the lens and the amount of light becomes easier.

 

Input Coupler: A coupler located at the input part of the Wave Guide, which guides light or electromagnetic waves to the Wave Guide.

 

Output Coupler: A coupler located on the output side of the Wave Guide, which plays a role in outputting light or electromagnetic waves inside the Wave Guide to the outside.

 

Refractive Index: A value that indicates the refractive index of the material through which light or electromagnetic waves pass in the Wave Guide.The higher the refractive index, the more efficiently light or electromagnetic waves can be transmitted inside the Wave Guide.

 

Cladding: As an external material that surrounds the Wave Guide, it serves to protect light or electromagnetic waves from being lost inside the Wave Guide.

 

Beam Splitter: A device that splits light or electromagnetic waves inside the Wave Guide, and can deliver signals at different ratios to the input and output sides.