In collaboration with Stanford University researchers, Nvidia has developed a pair of virtual reality glasses that have the narrowest VR display system till date. This is being considered as a breakthrough that might make VR much more approachable.
The Holographic Glasses represent a revolutionary technology that utilises the large VR headgear commonly seen by most consumers. The display and lens setup is trimmed to a thickness of just 0.1 inch or 2.55mm, and that has reduced the device’s weight to just 60 grams.
Conventional virtual reality headsets use a network of lenses, along with display panels which must be spaced apart by a specific portion to give an impression of seeing a three-dimensional environment surrounding users. Pancake lenses have reduced the space among parts, thereby facilitating a significant drop in size. However, the progress that has been made has not been enough to create VR devices that are very close in appearance to eyeglasses.
To create an authentic holographic display, the Nvidia Holographic Glasses depend on a pupil-replicating waveguide, a geometrical phase lens, along with a spatial light modulator. To sum it up, the new offering from Nvidia compresses the optic systems into a single heap. This is an astonishingly thin and light system that is unlike anything that has been seen before in the domain of VR tools.
Currently, the system needs a lot of fine tuning to become the best possible version of itself. However, its development is showing the path forward for VR google design and functionality.
Virtual reality offerings do come with a major shortcoming, and this is seen in a headset like the Quest 2 from Meta. This is nothing other than the bulky from factor of these devices. Due to the size, Quest 2 devices weigh about 1 pound each. Many users find them to be quite heavy for longer duration usage.
As people start experiencing neck and shoulder pain, they are forced to take off heavy VR devices. This radically reduces their ability to enjoy the new range of experiences being rolled out as metaverse offerings. The new offering by Nvidia is set to tackle this issue head-on.
Heavy headsets are very difficult for a lot of users across age groups, from children and young adults, to elderly folks or those having disabilities. As a result, using heavy and bulky headsets is out of the question for many. These groups thus stay deprived from enjoying the wonders of the virtual world.
With the new Nvidia device, wearers can enjoy VR and the metaverse in something that’s light and small like conventional eyeglasses. This is being considered as a gamechanger for the virtual reality industry.
However, there is a lot to be achieved before VR enthusiasts can get their hands on consumer devices that carry revolutionary form factor changes.
The Nvidia headset’s optical elements are somewhat large, along with several other parts. Further updates regarding improvements of the technology are expected in the near future.
