In its embryonic stage, augmented reality is often associated with bulky and impractical viewers. However, research continues, and it is not difficult to imagine a future in which these devices will be indistinguishable from today's normal pair of glasses. A team of researchers at Stanford University may have found the key to the smart glasses of the future: smart glasses that project AI-generated 3D images directly onto the lenses.
The prototype, developed in the Computational Imaging Lab led by the professor Gordon Wetzstein, represents a significant step forward compared to the uncomfortable (true, Apple?) VR and AR viewers currently on the market. Lighter, more realistic and potentially applicable across a wide range of industries, these glasses offer us a glimpse into the future of augmented reality, where the line between the digital and physical worlds becomes increasingly blurred.
A new way of seeing the world
The smart glasses developed at Stanford are based on a technology called “nanophotonic metasurface waveguide”. Huh? Keep it simple: in simple terms it means that there are many small optical elements embedded in the surface of the glass that help guide light in and out of the lens. This allows moving 3D images to be projected directly in front of the user's eyes, without the need for external screens or projectors.
The real revolution, however, lies in the way these images are generated. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the glasses can create virtual scenes and objects that integrate seamlessly with the real environment. It's as if the digital world overlapped with the physical one, creating a new hybrid reality where everything is possible.
Not simple smart glasses, but an experience indistinguishable from reality
One of the key features of the Stanford glasses is that they project images stereoscopically: each eye sees a slightly different image to account for differences in angle and distance. It's the way our eyes are used to processing images in the real world, and this makes the experience much more natural and realistic than current headsets, which show a single image on a single screen.
What we're thinking about is providing a perceptually realistic experience that's very similar to the real world. To be precise: we are going towards something that is indistinguishable from a real object.
Gordon Wetzstein
Beyond entertainment: the potential of augmented reality
Although virtual and augmented reality are often associated with games and entertainment, the potential of this technology goes far beyond these sectors. “You could imagine a surgeon wearing these glasses to plan a delicate or complex surgery, or an aircraft mechanic using them to learn how to work on the latest jet engine,” he said Manu Gopakumar, a doctoral student who helped design and build the prototype. From medical to industrial applications, through education and training, the possibilities are practically endless. Smart glasses could revolutionize the way we work, learn and interact with the world around us.
It must be said: the Stanford model has not yet been tested on human eyes and there are still challenges to face, such as making smart glasses even more compact and energy efficient. But researchers are optimistic: These are the next steps, along with further testing and refinement of the technology.
Meanwhile, this prototype offers us a fascinating look at what the future of augmented reality could be. A future in which we will wear (everyone? No, but think about how many today have a smartphone) light and discreet glasses that will transform the world before our eyes, enriching it with previously unimaginable information, images and possibilities.
Before putting on smart glasses, let's look at ourselves
While the laboratories work and prepare the "next thing" after cell phones, it is better to prepare at least mentally. What happens when the border between real and virtual becomes so thin that it disappears? How does our perception of reality change, how does our relationship with reality change? These are questions that do not have an easy answer, but which are essential to ask ourselves as we move towards this hybrid future.
Stanford's smart glasses and their predictable successors are just the beginning of a new process of cultural adaptation. A process that will make us more connected (and disconnected) than ever. And it will literally change the world, if only the perceived one. It will be up to us, as a society, to decide how to use this powerful technology and what values we want to bring with us into this new reality.
