What is the working principle of an AR waveguide?
Waveguides can confine light – in our case an image – and guide it to where it is needed. All waveguides have an incoupling area in order to receive light, and an outcoupling area in order to release it. It is common to use a micro-projector, or micro-display, to generate the digital image and channel it into the waveguide. The light then propagates through the waveguide and gets projected into the eye, creating a virtual image on a display that seems to be floating in free space.
A key feature of AR waveguides is their transparency and color neutrality. Since users have to look through the waveguide to see the virtual image, minimum obstruction of their natural field of view is desired. Therefore, waveguides are made of the highest quality optical glass, and that is where SCHOTT’s exceptional knowhow comes into play.
The main difference between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices is the user experience. VR headsets purposely hide the real environment and completely immerse the user in an artificial digital world. AR/MR headsets, on the other hand, enhance the user’s perception of their real environment by adding digital content to it. This enables AR/MR headsets to be worn like regular spectacles, without obstructing the user’s field of view.