Occlusion Capable Optical See-Through Head Mounted Display Using Freeform Optics

The optical see-through Head Mounted Display (OST-HMD) is one of the enabling technologies for merging virtual views with a physical scene and provides a direct view of the real world through an optical combiner. It is highly preferred in demanding applications where a users awareness to the live environment is paramount. However, one of the critical issues with OST-HMD lies in that the virtual views appear ghost-like and are floating in the real world due to the lack of the occlusion capability. Most of the existing occlusion-capable OST-HMDs based on traditional rotationally symmetric optics inevitably have a helmet-like, bulky form factor. The cumbersome, helmet-like form factor prevents the acceptance of the technology for many demanding and emerging applications. To address these challenges, Augmented Vision Inc. (Tucson), in collaboration with the University of Arizona and Rockwell Collins, proposes to develop a lightweight, goggle-like OST-HMD with mutual occlusion capability by exploring a highly innovative optical approach based on emerging freeform optical design and fabrication technology. Our innovative optical approach enables us to achieve an occlusion-capable OST-HMD system with a very compelling form factor and high optical performances which are far beyond any of the solutions currently available in laboratory.