14 DAY TRIAL // Glasses are still the one big 'problem' that many people have with 3D and, since glasses-free panel research is still not quite there yet, Nokia and Vuzix went for the next best thing.
Nokia and Vuzix want to remove the main problem of 3D glasses, namely the unflattering looks.
In seeking to make them aesthetically pleasing, or at least passable, they decided to make them look like sun glasses, though the two companies' new partnership is concerned with more than that.
For those interested in specialized terms, there is the whole technical formulation of the project, which sounds something like “producing see-through waveguide optics for use in near-eye display systems.”
In other words, the two companies want to make eyewear which, while looking like sunglasses, perform as near-eye display systems (NED for short).
“Vuzix' specialized expertise in video eyewear will be critical in driving the further development of EPE technology and ensuring its integration in new consumer products. We are excited to be enabling a new era of innovation.” said Jyri Huopaniemi, director and head of the Nokia Research Center Media Technologies Laboratory.
The agreement between the companies will have Vuzix researching and developing components and products based on the Nokia Exit Pupil Expanding (EPE) optics technology.
EPE was developed over the past decade and should allow the eventual sunglass-style eyewear to be mass produced at an accessible cost.
Unfortunately, no time frame was given for when people may expect new video eyewear and head mounted displays to appear.
“We believe that Nokia's EPE technology solves a long missing piece in the NED business for creating sunglass-style video eyewear,” said Paul Travers, Vuzix president and CEO.
He added,“Integrate this Nokia technology with Vuzix's advanced display engine developments with partners like Fraunhofer IPMS, and we expect to be able to offer the video glasses that Hollywood and Sci-Fi writers have only been able to imagine.”