Coming to You (Live!) from Photonics West

Like many companies, academics, industry experts, and students in the photonics and optics arena, Radiant has missed live events for the last two years. While we continued to participate in our usual tradeshows and conferences virtually over 2020-2021, we are very excited to be in person at SPIE Photonics West and the SPIE AR | VR | MR Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco this week!

According to conference organizers, attendees will “Hear cutting-edge research in biomedical optics, biophotonics, industrial lasers, optoelectronics, microfabrication, MOEMS-MEMS, displays” and can see “two world-class exhibitions, plenary presentations, and a variety of networking activities.”

Where AR, VR, and MR Get Real

During the pandemic, technology use has increased across multiple sectors, but AR/VR use has seen the most rapid uptick in adoption by enterprises and consumers alike. Global spending on AR and VR headsets, software, and services rose to $12 billion in 2020, a massive 50% increase over 2019.¹ Remote work fueled part of that rise as did an increase in consumer use. For example, 2020 saw 32% of consumers using AR applications for shopping.² 

The SPIE AR | VR | MR conference (January 23-25) gathers many of the leaders and innovators in near-eye display (NED) devices and technologies, such as Bernard Kress and Grace Hwang of Microsoft, Kevin Curtis of Magic Leap, Kelly Ingham of Facebook/Meta, Marty Banks, the eminent Professor of Vision Science at UC Berkely, and many others. The event is also your chance to get a look at some of the latest devices during the event’s Exhibition on Monday and Tuesday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, at Moscone West.

Novel Optical Systems to Revolutionize XR Display Testing

Also at the conference, Radiant engineers will share information and insight on our patent-pending “Novel modular optical system for simplified development of AR, VR display measurement solutions.” This paper is presented as part of the Technical Talks at daily poster sessions from 12:00 - 12:50 P.M, January 23-25 (Sunday through Tuesday) at SPIE AR | VR | MR.

As NED display technologies, projection methods, and headset form factors continue to evolve, measurement and quality solutions must also evolve alongside. The speed of AR/VR/MR (collectively XR) innovation calls for equipment that helps manufacturers deploy device-specific display measurement as quickly and easily as possible.

The unique viewing conditions of new devices—different angular fields of view (FOV), resolutions, focus ranges, and hardware designs—often require XR measurement systems with costly custom optics. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and, once designed, a measurement system is not easily modified for different requirements. 

In answer to this need, Radiant introduces a novel optical design that greatly simplifies development of near-eye display measurement? devices. Using modular components, new optical configurations can be produced and reconfigured to match headset specifications with minimal development time. 

In the presentation, Radiant's Eric Eisenberg, Optics Development Manager, and Javier Ruiz, Staff Optical Software Engineer II, will discuss and demonstrate features of the XR test system such as electronic focus control and folded (“periscope”) geometries, which can be incorporated easily into the optical design to accommodate different focus ranges and headset form factors. Optical performance data and measurement images from the novel modular system used in XR display measurement are included.

Photonics West Takes the Stage

Next you can check out the action at SPIE Photonics West—the world's largest marketplace for photonics, optics, imaging, and industrial lasers. The exhibition floor will be open from Jan 25-27 (Tuesday - Thursday). 

See It in Action: XR Measurement and Testing Solutions

Visit Radiant at booth 3021 if you’d like to take a close-up look at configurations of the XR test system from the AR | VR | MR presentation. We’ll also be showing some of our additional light and color metrology solutions at the booth, including our award-winning AR/VR Lens. 

Combined with a Radiant ProMetric^® Imaging Photometer or Colorimeter, the AR/VR Lens is used to qualify displays across narrow to wide fields of view (up to 120° horizontal) at extremely close proximity, emulating the perspective of the user within the headset. Leveraging high-resolution, low-noise image sensors, our ProMetric systems can discern fine details in virtual images to isolate quality issues such as MTF (image clarity), contrast, and optical anomalies of the display for the most precise and relevant analysis.

Radiant’s AR/VR Lens and ProMetric Y Imaging Photometer (left); an MTF analysis shown in our TT-ARVR™ Software (right).

If you’re in attendance in San Francisco, come to the poster session Monday-Tuesday, or visit booth 3021 Tuesday-Thursday to see how imaging technology can improve the efficiency of testing displays, AR/VR components, and light-emitting devices across applications from R&D to production. We hope to see you there!

CITATIONS

1. Verdomatski, S., “Augmented and Virtual Reality After COVID-19.” Forbes/Forbes Technology Council, September 14, 2021. 
2. Ibid.