Holographic glasses explained

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Zuck just announced Meta will ship holographic glasses. ELI5 what that meansSure! Imagine you have a pair of regular glasses. Now, instead of just helping you see better, these special glasses can show you things that aren't really there, like a 3D video game character standing in your living room or a map floating in front of your eyes.

Holographic glasses use advanced technology to project images and information right in front of your eyes, making it look like those things are actually part of the real world. It's like mixing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), where digital objects appear as if they're part of the real world around you. So, you could see and interact with these digital objects without needing a screen or holding a device. It's like having a mini-computer and a virtual world right on your face!What technologies are they likely using to achive this? What is probably the FOV?To achieve holographic glasses, Meta is likely using several advanced technologies:

1. Waveguides or Diffractive Optical Elements: These are used to project images into the user's eyes. They can bend and direct light efficiently to create high-quality, immersive visuals.

2. MicroLED or OLED Displays: These tiny displays can be embedded in the glasses to create the virtual images. MicroLEDs are particularly known for their brightness and efficiency, which are crucial for wearable devices.

3. Eye Tracking: This technology tracks where the user is looking to adjust the images accordingly, providing a more natural and immersive experience.

4. SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping): This technology helps the glasses understand the environment by mapping it in real-time, allowing digital objects to interact with the real world seamlessly.

5. Advanced Sensors and Cameras: These capture the surroundings and user movements, enabling interactions with the digital content. This includes depth sensors to understand the spatial environment.

6. AI and Computer Vision: These technologies process the data from sensors and cameras to create realistic and interactive holograms.

7. Connectivity (5G, Wi-Fi 6): High-speed data connections ensure smooth performance and real-time updates for the holographic content.

The Field of View (FOV) for such devices is crucial for an immersive experience. Early holographic and AR glasses have had limited FOVs, typically around 30-50 degrees, which can be quite restrictive. However, Meta might aim for a broader FOV to enhance immersion. A FOV of around 70-90 degrees would significantly improve the experience, but achieving this while maintaining a lightweight and comfortable design is challenging. Current state-of-the-art AR devices strive for FOVs in this range, so Meta's glasses will likely target similar specifications.

Holographic glasses explained created at Tue Jan 20 1970 21:44:21 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)