Foveated AR: Dynamically-Foveated Augmented Reality Display

Title: Foveated AR: Dynamically-Foveated Augmented Reality Display

Teams: Nvidia；Seoul National University

Writers: Jonghyun Kim；Youngmo Jeong (NVIDIA, Seoul National University)；Michael Stengel；Kaan Akşit；Rachel Albert；Ben Boudaoud；Trey Greer；Joohwan Kim；Ward Lopes；Zander Majercik；Peter Shirley；Josef Spjut；Morgan McGuire；David Luebke

Publication date: July 28, 2019

Abstract

We present a near-eye augmented reality display with resolution and focal depth dynamically driven by gaze tracking. The display combines a traveling microdisplay relayed off a concave half-mirror magnifier for the high-resolution foveal region, with a wide field-of-view peripheral display using a projector-based Maxwellian-view display whose nodal point is translated to follow the viewer’s pupil during eye movements using a traveling holographic optical element. The same optics relay an image of the eye to an infrared camera used for gaze tracking, which in turn drives the foveal display location and peripheral nodal point. Our display supports accommodation cues by varying the focal depth of the microdisplay in the foveal region, and by rendering simulated defocus on the “always in focus” scanning laser projector used for peripheral display. The resulting family of displays significantly improves on the field-of-view, resolution, and formfactor tradeoff present in previous augmented reality designs. We show prototypes supporting 30, 40 and 60 cpd foveal resolution at a net 85° × 78° field of view per eye.