New HMD Targets Experience-based Game Market
A high-resolution augmented reality (AR) head mount display (HMD) equipped with a holographic optical element has been developed for the first time in Korea.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on March 12 that its research team led by Dr. Park Min-chul has developed an AR HMD that provides top quality high-resolution 4K AR video. In this research, Epic Optix, the Future Technology Research Center, SCEC, Sejong University, and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute participated.
The conventional AR HMD is not only large and heavy but also has a low display resolution. The research team applied holographic optical elements to drastically reduce volume and weight. In addition, the team applied ultra-precise design technology to achieve 4K resolution video.
A holographic optical element is a type of diffractive optical element manufactured by using a holographic technology and can reproduce or deform a wave form recorded in a hologram to shape the transmitted or reflected light into a desired form.
This research is meaningful in that it has provided a technical basis for implementation of a complete holographic 3D video on the HMD. AR is a technology that provides a variety of image information by overlaying 3D virtual images on actual space or objects. It is more realistic than virtual reality (VR) and can be widely used in industrial fields, such as broadcasting, education, manufacturing, advertisement, medical, and automobile.
Kim Dong-ha, head of Epic Optix, said, "We expect to preempt the experience-based game market with this technology." Park added, "From this research, we have established a foundation for providing the world's highest level holographic service by overcoming existing limitations."