While we continue to hear rumors about the next virtual or augmented reality glasses from Apple, the company continues to publish the most interesting patents. The most recent refers to a system that would allow project augmented reality directly onto our retina.
A system of glasses that we wear for many hours
As we have mentioned more than once, patents give us insight into the interests of the company. It’s true that they don’t necessarily have to end up taking shape, but what is true is that it shows what is the R&D money invested in. In this sense, the number of patents on Apple Glass rumors is most interesting.
In the patent in question, entitled “Direct Retinal Projector”, the company explores the creation of a device capable of projecting augmented reality directly onto the retina. A system that could definitely correct the fact that some AR or VR systems cause headaches or dizziness in users.
“When the user views images through a virtual reality system, it may feel like they are moving through the scenes from a first person point of view,” he continues. “However, conventional virtual reality and augmented reality systems can suffer from accommodation and convergence misalignment which causes eye strain, headaches and / or nausea.”
“The lag between accommodation and convergence occurs when a virtual reality or augmented reality system actually disrupts a user’s brain,” says Apple, “generating content from a scene that doesn’t match the depth expected by the brain based on the stereo convergence of the two users. the eyes “.
“For example, in a stereoscopic system, the images displayed to the user can cause the eyes to focus at a far distance while an image is physically displayed at a closer distance,” the patent continues. “In other words, the eyes may try to focus on an image plane or focal depth different from the focal depth of the projected image, resulting in eye strain and / or increased mental stress. “
This fatigue and annoyance that we experience with current augmented or virtual reality devices, is what Apple seeks to neutralize, since they establish a limit the number of hours we can use systems like this before we need to rest. With everyday glasses in mind, this is a limitation to be aware of.
Thanks to the technology of projecting images directly onto the retina these discomforts or blur disappear. It is true that other factors such as projection strength, brightness and other variables have to be taken into account, but in any case it is a really interesting approximation.
It’s clear that Apple must have the most interesting prototypes in Apple Park’s secret labs. Prototypes that must be getting, on the basis of patents, some really incredible things. No wonder Tim Cook is always commenting on how big a difference augmented reality will make, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Image | Vinicius “amnx” Amano
