Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit Spacesuit Heads-Up Display

To address NASA’s need for an augmented reality (AR) display system for extravehicular activity (EVA), Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes to develop a new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) Spacesuit Heads-up Display (xHUD) based on innovative integration of laser projectors and waveguide pupil expander combiner (WPEC) optics. This approach incorporates miniature full-color laser light sources and low-profile, narrowband, reflective, see-through, toroid-shaped WPEC optics, which enable us to meet NASA xEMU spacesuit requirements for an AR display that is completely decoupled from the user's head and provides full sunlight readability with automated rapid ambient light response. The xHUD is equivalent to a display panel with a diagonal field of view of at least 30° and it can render complex graphics, including high-definition video, at a frame rate of at least 60 fps. xHUD offers full-color, high-resolution, collimated images with a large eye box, and it is highly suited to the space and weight constraints inside an astronaut’s xEMU spacesuit helmet. Intellisense plans to demonstrate the feasibility of the xHUD system by building and testing a preliminary prototype to technology readiness level 4 by the end of Phase I. Intellisense plans to develop in Phase II a fully functional prototype that mitigates thermal and radiation issues to demonstrate sunlight readability and HD resolution. When developing this deliverable proof-of-concept prototype, Intellisense will consider scalability and integration with other display components such as video processing electronics. The prototype will also be used to analyze ignition safety due to a 100% oxygen operating environment and vacuum and extreme temperature storage environments. The successful development of xHUD will offer NASA the capability to perform EVAs with an AR HUD internal to the helmet to improve crew safety and comfort and prevent misalignment of the display.