Tech Shout!

Walking on the streets could soon become a lot better.

Olympus along with Future Creation Laboratory and Human Media Lab is in the works of conducting a verification test for a service that offers information to pedestrians through wireless head mount displays (HMDs).

Dubbed “mobile Eye-Trek (Keigan),” the optical appliance of wireless HMD prototype developed by Olympus, will be employed in the test. On the basis of the test applicant’s location and interests, suggestions and finer points on the area around his/her current position are transmitted and displayed on the HMD.

The mobile Eye-Trek (Keigan) includes Inspiring Ubiquitous Service (IUS), which places an LCD panel measuring 3.2 x 2.4mm in front of the right eye, which looks like a 3.8-inch display (about 100mm diagonal) located 50cm ahead from the viewer’s perspective. According to Olympus, IUS’ purpose is to offer “inspiring information” that would motivate the users’ intellectual curiosity. The 113,000 resolution LCD panel has 521 x 218 delta-aligned pixels.

The test which includes around 50 students from Chuo University will be performed at Koishikawa, Hongo, Yushima and Komagome areas in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. As of now Olympus has not revealed any dates for the commercial release of the mobile Eye-Trek.