Matt from my20percent decided he wanted to make his own augmented reality heads-up display, and to do so he used a baseball cap, some Fresnel lenses, a plastic mirror, and an HTC Desire Z Android smartphone.
On top of that, Matt used some other random office supplies to complete his project, and the display shows the images about 50cm from the wearer’s eyes.
Challenges and Improvements
It works pretty well. Lining up the reflective screens is fiddly, so future designs should lock them in place. They also don’t work too well in direct sunlight, since the mirrored film isn’t very reflective, so the reflected light from the screen is pretty dim. Ideally, you’d want some sort of mirror that automatically adjusts to the ambient light, and you’d want the smartphone screen to dim at night, but these work fairly well indoors.
One of the main challenges Matt faced was ensuring that the reflective screens were properly aligned. This alignment is crucial for the display to be clear and readable. In future iterations, a more robust mechanism to lock the screens in place could significantly improve the usability of the device. Additionally, the current setup struggles in direct sunlight due to the low reflectivity of the mirrored film. This issue could be mitigated by using a more reflective material or incorporating a dynamic mirror that adjusts based on ambient light conditions.
Potential Applications and Future Enhancements
The concept of a homemade augmented reality heads-up display opens up numerous possibilities. For instance, such a device could be used in various fields like gaming, navigation, and even professional applications such as engineering and healthcare. Imagine a surgeon having real-time data displayed in their field of vision during an operation, or a mechanic seeing a schematic overlay while working on a complex engine.
Future enhancements could include integrating voice control to interact with the display without needing to touch the smartphone. This would make the device more user-friendly and versatile. Another potential improvement could be the addition of sensors to track head movements, allowing the display to adjust dynamically based on where the user is looking.
Moreover, the integration of augmented reality software could provide a more immersive experience. For example, navigation apps could project arrows and directions directly onto the user’s path, making it easier to follow routes without constantly looking down at a phone. In gaming, augmented reality could bring characters and game elements into the real world, providing a more engaging experience.
You can find out more information on this homemade augmented reality heads-up display over at my20percent.
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