The real world is great, but augmented-reality (AR) technology can make it even better—more fun, informative, productive, and educational. While wearable AR glasses for consumers aren’t here yet, the good news is that all of the apps and tools for smartphone-based AR have paved the way for an easy migration to next-generation apps on AR glasses.
In a way, smartphone-based AR has acted as a proof of concept. The next step in hardware will be comfortable, high-performance, affordable AR glasses. But creating such devices requires overcoming several technical challenges.
到处...
自从流星崛起以来Pokemon Go in 2016, AR apps are popping up everywhere. In fact, companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and others have jumped on the bandwagon. AR development environments like苹果的Arkit和Google的Arcorehave helped tremendously to proliferate AR apps on iPhones and Android devices（图。1）。Now affordable, if not free, AR content-creation tools like Blippar, Zappar, and Aurasma are making it even easier for app developers, small and large businesses, and even nonprofit organizations to get into AR.
1. Adding retail information to a view is just one example of an augmented-reality application.
Games may have provided an initial impetus for AR, but now all sorts of new AR applications are finding their way into industries as diverse as education, marketing and advertising, architecture and engineering, museums, and beyond. Retailers like Ikea offer AR apps that let prospective buyers see how a piece of furniture will look in their homes. Airbnb has demonstrated an AR app that gives an informative guided tour to renters when they arrive.
教育AR应用程序创造了沉浸式学习环境。与其阅读或观看有关火山的视频，不如想象中学生经历了一场火山喷发，实际上是在桌子上发生的。
大英博物馆正在测试一个AR智能手机应用程序，该应用程序将取代录制的描述或壁挂式笔记卡，该卡描述了艺术品的作品，并提供了有关作品的创作方式的信息。建筑或工程公司将物理模型与AR相结合，以便客户可以从内而外体验建筑物，同时呈现解释性或促销信息。至少可以说，结果更具吸引力。这些例子指出了AR的勇敢新世界。
Next-Gen Wearables
尽管智能手机上的应用程序可能已经证明了AR的生存能力和巨大潜力，但专门为AR应用设计的下一代眼镜将提供更强大和沉浸式的体验。Unlike smartphones, where the AR experience is bounded by the borders of the display screen on the phone, the images and graphics displayed by AR glasses will seem to float right in front of the viewer’s field of vision as if they were indeed real and a part of the scene.
几种不同类型的应用可能非常适合AR眼镜。当然，游戏是一个。想象一下，小型战舰在客厅的家具周围巡游，并从吊扇上攻击。在机械和工业工程中，观察和操纵3D对象的能力将非常有用。骑自行车的人，滑雪者或越野摩托车骑手可以从嵌入头盔中的AR眼镜中受益，这些眼镜显示出关键信息，例如速度，心率，路线上的位置，剩余的燃料等。在库存管理或仓储应用中，AR眼镜可以指导人员进入难以找到的存储箱，或者立即确认正确的物品已从库存中提取。
对于这些和其他应用程序，AR眼镜必须舒适地穿着，并保持可接受的电池寿命和高性能。显示子系统是如何判断此类眼镜的关键组成部分。目的是欺骗大脑认为它所看到的是现实世界的一部分，并且达到该绩效水平将需要精心设计的AR显示屏。
设计注意事项
Designers can follow several different approaches when designing the optimal AR glasses for a specific application. Each display technology will have its own strengths and weaknesses, but there are certain operational characteristics for any designer of AR glasses to consider when evaluating AR display technology, including:
低电量：为了使一组AR玻璃小巧且轻巧，显示子系统必须是低功率。AR显示器功耗的关键决定因素是其光学效率 - 有多少光线使其从照明源进入眼睛。一种非光学效率的设计会牺牲一个小的轻型外形以容纳更大的电池，或者由于电池容量有限而必须降低显示屏的亮度。
光学效率的显示器使开发人员更灵活，以优化其设计，适合将在眼镜上运行的应用程序的要求。例如，诸如骑自行车之类的室外运动应用可能需要优化高亮度的眼镜，而在仓库库存管理应用程序中部署的眼镜可能不需要高亮度水平，而是可以优化更长的电池寿命。
Brightness:The brightness of an AR display is a key determinant of the user experience. If brightness is limited, the display may not be able to create enough of a disparity between the displayed content and the background environment（图2）。In addition, if the glasses will be used outdoors, then the output of the display must be very bright for the content to be clearly perceptible.
2. A bright AR display (right) is a key determinant of the user experience. If brightness is limited (left), then the display may not be able to create enough of a disparity between the displayed content and the background environment.
对比：对比是衡量显示器最黑的黑人和最白的差异的量度（图3）。高对比度将使内容变得非常丰富和沉浸式。此外，像素真正黑色的能力在AR眼镜中至关重要，因为黑色像素将对佩戴者透明。当这些像素不是真正的黑色，而是灰色的阴影时，佩戴者会看到不现实而分散注意力的灰色背景，概述了眼镜的显示区域。
3. A high contrast ratio (right) makes the content richer and immersive compared to a low-contrast (left) presentation.
High speed/low latency:在涉及头部运动的AR应用中，高率速率的低延迟显示尤其重要。在此类应用程序中，显示屏中的延迟可能会导致增强内容不正确与现实世界中的对象保持一致。
Conclusion
Next-generationAr眼镜will bring AR applications closer to achieving their full potential. Instead of boxing in the reality of an AR app in the way that a smartphone screen does, AR glasses will make the app and its reality part of the user’s reality. Getting there will require thoughtful consideration of design issues involving the glasses’ display subsystem.
