AR(Augmented Reality) is a hot topic at present, and with the development of 5G,it is likely to be the next generation of human-machine interface. Now I would like to briefly introduce two kind of AR technology.

Video see-through system: simple schematic as below

     The video taken by the camera are fed into the Video compositor, combined with the virtual scene generated by the computer system, and output to the screen , from which the user sees the final image of the enhanced scene. This can be useful when you need to experience something remotely, for example a robot which you send to fix a leak inside a chemical plant.

      Video see-through system is easier to match the camera video with the computer graphics. But there is inherent latency(delay) from system and the motion trackers are not instantaneous.

Optical see-through system:simple schematic as below

      Optical see-through systems combine computer-generated imagery with "through the glasses" image of the real world, usually through a slanted semi-transparent mirror. There is no latency and you can see something even in the extreme situation such as power fail.

     Of cause optical see-through is not perfect, for example inherent mismatch or lack of synchronization between what you see through the glasses and the graphics.

     Obviously there is difference between video see-through and optical see-through. They both have advantages and disadvantages. But optical see-through system is more prospective. I would like to introduce severl Optical see-through technology applied glasses development next time.