HOE-based Augmented Reality Avionics Display Systems

HOE-based Augmented Reality Avionics Display System (HARADS) Luminit Government Services, LLC (LGS) in association with University of Massachusetts, proposes to do a feasibility study for an HOE-based Augmented Reality Avionics Heads Up Display System that will improve brightness, clarity of vision, enhanced visual acuity, and increase available information in the cockpit of a military aircraft compared to the flat optical glass diffusers currently used as Avionics HUD display screens.  Luminit's own technology for producing thin transparent holographic optical elements on a continuous roll will be used for production. This product has been tried in a near-eye application - A/R prescription eyeglasses made by a Canadian company that has now been acquired by Google. That product had limitations due to small eye box. It is not suitable for Avionics and many other uses because it was limited to near-eye application and had a small field of view.  There is no reason that this technology should not be developed further to overcome the field of view limitation for aviation HUD displays and many other uses.  Transition will be natural for LGS because it is a supplier of glass diffuser-based HUD display screens for many US military aircraft. LGS, in association with our research partner proposes to replace the glass diffuser screen with a mass-produced thin film with an application-specific volume hologram that would provide a bright color image with a larger eye box (field of view) on a transparent screen without obscuring view.  This film could be mounted on a curved helmet visor or the windshield, or anywhere in between.  There are alternatives to the diffuser-based display screens which are based on Light guides. These too are bulky, heavy, and generate a monochromatic image. The proposed thin, transparent holographic film will change the way Avionics HUD systems are designed. Multiple lenses and reflectors used in the current HUD projectors would be replaced by the holographic film, reducing system volume and weight.  A color image would be generated by using RGB lasers, creating bright and sharp images.  Adding a scene combiner would allow information from multiple sources to be displayed on one HUD system providing a true Augmented Reality Enhanced Flight Vision System. Luminit Government Services (LGS) seeks this Phase I funding to (a) determine the feasibility of this concept by talking to end-users and stake holders in DoD; (b) Identify specific applications and platforms in consultation with the end-users and stake holders; and (c) Determine the feasibility of adding a scene combiner such that information from multiple sources may be displayed on one HUD system.  .