Technically Speaking: Gadgets

Heads up display in a Star Trek-like visor. This gadget may change the way we all do things, such as read or watch TV. It may take some time to see the fruits of the labor but it is sure to be really cool.

Microvision’s display products demonstrate the capabilities of the company’s proprietary scanned beam technology to deliver superior displays in a variety of formats with high resolution, high contrast and excellent color saturation. Unlike conventional flat panel displays using a matrix of pixels, Microvision’s scanned beam displays are created with just four primary components: drive electronics, light sources, scanner and optics. The image is created a single pixel at a time and may be scanned directly to the eye, eliminating a monitor or screen altogether. Highlighted as the cover feature story in the May issue of IEEE Spectrum as the “Ultimate Display,” the low power and elegant architecture of Microvision’s scanned beam displays provide an extremely efficient way to deliver an image, and have the potential to revolutionize displays for everything from cell phones and gaming glasses to laser televisions.

Microvision will be exhibiting and demonstrating for the first time in public its MicroHUD™ automotive head-up display. This pre-production prototype laser-scanning display for automotive applications displays navigation, performance and other vehicle information by reflecting a very high-contrast image off the car’s windshield, so drivers can keep their eyes focused on the road ahead. Designed as a standard module to adapt to a wide range of vehicles, the MicroHUD has unique abilities to meet the demanding packaging, cost, performance and reliability requirements of the automotive industry. Prototypes have already been delivered to OEM automakers and Tier 1 suppliers around the world.

Additionally, the company will showcase the Nomad Expert Technician System, which is now in commercial production and being shipped to customers. The Nomad Expert Technician System is the world’s only wireless wearable computer with a head-worn, head-up display. With a unique “connect and work” capability, the Nomad Expert Technician System enables automotive service technicians to superimpose text and diagrams from online and Internet service manuals directly over their workspace at the point of task, hands-free. Trials with leading automotive companies show up to 40 percent gain in productivity, as well as improvements in quality of work, increased training efficiencies and rapid return on investment.

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Don’t plan to rush out and buy this gadget yet, for it’s priced at $4000.