Sure, we might not have those jetpacks and other fun stuff that was promised to us by scientists, but if this piece of technology from NTT DoCoMo is any indication of where things stand, we might be closer to getting our own HUDs than you think, the same kind made popular by tech noir films back in the nineties.
NTT DoCoMo, the biggest Japanese mobile phone operator, recently unveiled an augmented reality mapping system at CEATEC, which is a trade show that takes place in Japan every year. The technology is being developed in conjunction with Olympus, makers of the Eye-Trek multimedia glasses. The system attaches to your spectacle lenses, and displays augmented reality content. The technology furthers the rapidly growing augmented reality features on smartphones. Just plug in the gadget into your smartphone, and voila! Robocop/Terminator style HUDs galore, loaded with information powered by the GPS technology in your smart phone.
In a practical sense, this means that you could glance at the sky with the technology enabled and get a detailed weather reading, or look at restaurants to get a quick rating, which could come in handy if you’re out and about in the increasingly smaller world we live in. It’s all thanks to a gyroscopic sensor, which determines the direction you’re facing, and relays relevant information via a tiny display screen in front of your right eye. It’s about time someone took the initiative and came up with something like this.
The technology is still in the initial stages of development so don’t expect this kit to drop at your local Walmart any time soon. NTT DoCoMo have even gone as far as to say they have no plans of commercialization and that the device is just a prototype and might remain so. While they ponder over it, check out some other clever uses of augmented reality like this clever vision-based Space Invaders game for Android and the Lego Digital Box .
Via: Singularity Hub
