Visual Field Augmentation - 2nd Generation

Visual Field Augmentation

2nd Generation Device - Virtual Vision Sport - Outdoor Usage & Options

This is by far the most harsh test that I have tried to date...

This is the opposite of the dim light test which passed with surprising results. Again, as unpredictably as all other results have been, this was a complete failure.

Firstly the daylight is so bright that it literally floods in from under the visor. Secondly the display simply can't pump-out enough luminance to compete with the snow glare.

All this with the actual visor blacked out

I wanted to run the tractor, and clear some snow.. but given that I rarely operate machinery when anybody is around, I was hesitant to do any testing with my camera girl nearby.

Ultimately I had to plow a road through a maple sugar bush and did so without the VFA for safety sake.

Here is my cut & ripped wife after her workout...

She confirmed all other perceptions that collectively were experienced. Field compression, enhanced night vision, and the optic distortion that I'm developing a tolerance to, but is disconcerting during a first encounter.

Sandy was able to negotiate all tasks that required eye-hand motor control, and was able to read normal sized type.

Here I am examining a miniature model car and reading approx 6 point type off of a part on the motor.

This feature of the VFA is the last thing I ever thought to investigate. While just using the unit earlier in the evening, I made an interesting discovery.

For normal movement (walking) the lens is at approximately it's center of the threaded length. To read a 1/4 to 1/2 turn is required to focus 12 to 10 point type. For what ever reason I turned the lens in 2 turns and had to get considerably closer to the paper, only to find the type extremely clear and very well defined.

So I turned the lens 3 more full turns inward and was able to see the imperfections in the arcs that made-up the individual letters as well as the fibre of the newsprint that the text was printed on. Since the camera is mounted on the Display, I have to get right in close. But this coming week (which I'll have off for holidays) I hope to fashion a small view stand for the camera as a near microscope/Magnifier system.

This apparatus will be interfaced to a 6.5cm LCD colour TV that has been kindly donated to this project all the way from Farmington Missouri.

(at some point I need to create a "Donors" Page but have issues over confidentiality given the public nature of the InterNet... The last thing I would want to do is expose an individual to Email Harassment due to their name being picked-up by a trolling web-bot because they were generous enough to donate in a public access experiment. Cash would never be refused!!!)

In anticipation of the coming week of available time I've bit the bullet and ordered 2 (two) entry level Board Cams. The market place is best summarized in one spot http://www.supercircuits.com. I had to fore go compact size against cost, and purchased the absolutely cheapest cameras that met some basic performance characteristics. My experience with Supercircuits.com was overwhelmingly positive, from the extensive content on their Website, to the quality of the catalogue that we promptly sent via a web based form. Their Email based Tech support was almost the kiss of death, as I sent 4 messages and never received any reply, even to some of the most basic questions. I felt hesitant to deal with a company I had zero history with across the continent after the V V Sport episode.

After looking for a couple of weeks and not finding a site that was either as extensive or willing to reply to email requests, I called the 800 number in the catalogue. The sales Rep was both knowledgeable and willing to answer as many questions as I felt comfortable asking as I was only placing a $100 USD order. (At present I don't have any official "Camera" sponsors, not even Super Circuits (yet...), That's not exactly true as my brother is sending a Hi-8 Camera for better video coverage. )

B/W 410 lines of resolution, 0.05 Low Lux capabilities, typical onboard DSP to control 1/60 to 1/100,000 sec shutter speed for bright light balancing. The physical size is unfortunately still 1.5" square determined by the circuit board.

And also a coveted 330 line Colour camera with 2 lux capabilities. These will be extensively tested against each other in an effort to gage nice to have versus deal-breaker features.

Also I will try and duplicate some of Prof Mann's aremac illustrations. Aremac is Camera backwards, which is the label Steve Mann has applied to the philosophy of image reproduction, the anti-thesis of a camera which is image acquisition. This is a subtle distinction that is as Black is to White

Along the same lines Mann's base ideology of "Eye-Tap" as a principle that the visual cortex is the access medium that offers the highest bandwidth for information interchange, is a concept that takes some contemplation, but once internalized offers a marked change in physical and mental perception.

For my purposes, beyond mapping stimulus input, the mediated reality of digital interface to either a PC or network as a more immersive experience couldn't make me less effective at work.

Already the benefits of digital image acquisition are obvious as I don't own any plain optic glasses that allows me to inspect circuit boards or read less than 8 point type with ease and minimal distortion. The greatest inefficiency I see in my crude illustration of the Aremac concept is the NTSC link between a CMOS capture element and similarly matrixed digital display. NTSC is a convention that ensures a level of interoperability between various manufactures and systems integrators. But all mediating technologies are exercises of compromise.

As the pair, once fully tested and matched Resolution to Resolution or Array to Matrix is selected, NTSC becomes an impediment to frequency response and maximum feature benefit... This all under the assumption that DSP (Digital Signal Processing) is occurring pre-scan conversion.

A number of major players in the OLED (Organic LED) and LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) have been identified, but I haven't been able get their attention via Email... Initially when I contacted VR-HMD (Virtual Reality - Head Mount Display) manufactures I would get polite replies that either deflected my inquiries or offered quotes that were clearly beyond the limited budget of a Spare-Time Public Access Experimenter.

If you are either an OLED or LCoS manufacturer, please don't hesitate to contact me about the No-Charge product Assessment Services we're currently offering. Currently we're willing to assess your product as a prototype binocular full-vision display mounted within a pair of RayBan Wayfarer sunglasses.

If you're a RayBan Executive and wish to participate in our similar No-Charge RayBan Wayfarer (Frames Black, Style Classic) assessment program Please don't hesitate to contact me at your convenience, as I assume that this offer will be open for an extended period of time.

Comments or Suggestions

mailto:frnkgmbk@renfrew.net

Back to Visual Field Augmentation