RE:ality – MIT to Give Us a “Sixth Sense” With Pico Projectors
February 9, 2009
I just came across this post over at Engadget talking about an augmented reality project at MIT. It uses a handheld pico projector to display information about objects in front of you. I’ve been so focused on the use of head mounted displays for augmented reality that I never even thought about what could be accomplished using a pico projector. Since a picture is worth a thousand words I’ll refrain from trying to explain it, just watch the video!
Tags: Augmented Reality, MIT, Pico Projector, Technology
February 10th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Leave it to the folks at MIT to take a bad idea to the extreme. There are lots of reasons why a head-worn display would be better than such a contraption (legibility, privacy, unobtrusiveness, etc), and no clear reason why such a getup would be better than an HMD. I’m sure they have a nice yarn to spin about why it’s better, but it looks more to me like a bunch of geeks with a hammer, looking for a nail to hit with it.
Cute video, though.
February 10th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Because usable and, more importantly, affordable pico projectors are here right now. The technology still translates to use on an HMD with little effort. It simply allows researchers who can not afford quality HMDs to do real work.
Not to mention group activities. There are no privacy concerns when you want other people to see the displayed information. Again, HMDs can do far more, but cost is always a factor. You only need one pico projector for a group versus individual displays for everyone in the case of HMDs.
Pico projectors could bridge a very important gap. Look at Bluetooth headsets for instance. No one wanted to wear them, it makes you look like a dork in most people’s eyes. There’s no way in hell you’re going to convince the general public that an HMD is worthwhile without first convincing them that the technology is worthwhile. Pico projectors are a less intrusive way to introduce the public to AR.
You don’t have to sell geeks on new tech, but for it to reach commodity levels so the price of hardware will drop, the public has to want it as well.