Application scenarios for interactive OLED data-eyeglasses

17th May 2013

Fraunhofer

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Fraunhofer COMEDD will present the interactive OLED data eyeglasses at the Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara. The possibility to control data with one’s eyes and without using hands or speech fascinates a broad number of potential users. The developers of the eyeglasses received already a wide range of requests from different areas of life and work. In collaboration with partners from various disciplines such as medicine, psychology and industry, Fraunhofer COMEDD currently aims to transfer this revolutionary technology into applicable products. The aim is to develop customer- and application-specific OLED microdisplays with suitable colors, appropriate resolution of the display and camera function within the microchip. But only a chip makes not yet the eyeglasses. Various components need to be developed before the whole product will be accomplished. The interdisciplinary project FAIR is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). It is dedicated specifically to the support of physical functions by using “handfree applications in augmented reality“ (FAIR).

Within this joint-project demonstrators for innovative human-machine-interactions will be developed. A display – similar to eyeglasses – represents the visionary interface. The control and interaction with the display will be achieved via eye movements. Thus the displayed elements can be seen but provide at the same time the possibility for interaction. This enables the user to start different computer-controlled actions via eye movements. The first steps within FAIR will focus on three special application scenarios: assistance and interaction systems for persons with disabilities, innovative human-machine-interfaces in the field of entertainment as well as information- and augmented-reality-interfaces in industrial maintenance scenarios.

The partners in FAIR are working together on the development of hardware and software as well as on the planned applications in order to achieve the ambitious goals. FAIR is coordinated by the SME Interactive Minds Dresden GmbH. The coordinator is furthermore responsible for programming the interfaces and the application software. Fraunhofer COMEDD develops the hardware and software of the basic display- and eye tracking functions. The SME Trivisio Prototyping GmbH is taking care for the structure and assembly as well as the optimization of the OLED data eyeglasses. The chair for Engineering Psychology and Applied Cognitive Research at the TU Dresden evaluates and optimizes the gaze-based human-machine-interface. Furthermore the Division for Neurodegenerative Diseases of the TU Dresden is investigating assistance scenarios for patients, suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The SME Mecotec is preparing and evaluating applications of the data eyeglasses for maintenance technology in the field of pressure sensors.

Dr. Rigo Herold, system designer at Fraunhofer COMEDD, is delighted about the project funding: “After we successfully developed the basic system of the interactive OLED data eyeglasses now we are in the position to demonstrate the flexible use of the system in different fields of applications.“

The project partners thank the Federal Ministry of Education and Research for the funding of the project (FKZ: 16SV5842).
For the development of OLED data eyeglasses Fraunhofer COMEDD is offering so-called evaluation kits, which can be tested live at the Augmented World Expo 2013.