When science fiction becomes reality: holograms in your glasses

© Cristi Ursea/Unsplash

In a study published on April 22 in the journal Nature Communications, a team of researchers report the results of their work. They managed to develop a device small enough to fit in a pair of ordinary glasses, capable of projecting very realistic holograms inside them. An impressive technological advancement in the field of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

The end of VR headsets?

Traditional holograms rely on spatial light modulators (SLM), modifying the shape light waves at a certain distance to create a three-dimensional surface. However, these SLMs were mainly manufactured from liquid crystals or silicon display technology (LCoS), devices limited to flat screens as well as reduced viewing areas. The narrow viewing angle therefore forced the viewer to remain in a precise position, otherwise the light will disappear due to diffraction.

Now, with these new holographic lenses, this problem is definitively ruled out. The light field is, in fact, projected directly in front of the viewer, whatever their viewing angle. Thus, the light no longer disappears, providing a continuous and truly immersive visual experience.

In addition, the unprecedented miniaturization of these devices to the size of simple spectacle lenses eliminates the need to equip themselves with bulky virtual reality headsets. According to the researchers, the holograms created are, moreover, very realistic.

Towards integration into the daily

Imagine a device similar to the Apple Vision Pro, but in the form of simple glasses. Apple's headset is already a little gem of miniaturization compared to its competitors, but its size still remains relatively substantial. For the moment, this technology is obviously not ready for immediate commercialization, but it could experience meteoric expansion over the next decade.

The potential applications of this innovation appear to be quite vast: holographic communications made possible by 6G, immersive experiences in the fields of education or entertainment, creative professions, etc. Granted, we probably won't see these holographic lenses coming into our homes right away,but it could happen much sooner than expected.

• A team of researchers has developed a completely new type of holographic lens.
• It is so small that it can be easily integrated into classic glasses.
• According to the researchers behind the design of this lens, the holographic projections it allows are very realistic.

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