V-Rtifacts » Head Mounted Displays

Tearing Out the Guts of a Virtual Research VR-4 Helmet

Tone — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:07:59 +0000

Last week I shredded a Liquid Image MRG2.2. This week we go for the classic Virtual Research VR-4 stereoscopic head mounted display. There’s a lot to love about the VR-4: wide field of view optics, adjustable interpupilary distance, coated aspheric lenses, excellent fit to different heads, and provision for eyeglasses. The optics are timeless; used again in the V6, V8, and 15 years later in today’s Virtual Research VR-1280.

All these HMDs rely on 1.3″ displays… so the challenge is out: to find improved LCDs to drop into the classic VR-4, although the resolution of the original displays isn’t half bad.

So… in two parts… have a look inside the VR-4.

Click here to view the embedded video.

and

Click here to view the embedded video.

Liquid Image MRG2.2 Disassembly and Potential Upgrades

Tone — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:22:02 +0000

I’ve gotten a ton of emails hurled at me about the Liquid Image MRG2.2 VR helmet. The gist of most of them is: “Hey, I love the wide field of view and how rugged the MRG2.2 is, but I wish I could upgrade the LCD resolution, and, is there a way to make this HMD stereoscopic?”

It’s time to hurl the challenge back at you. These two videos explain in detail how to tear down an MRG2.2, what each of the components are, how they interconnect, and suggestions for how this puppy could be upgraded. If that’s not enough, head over to the V-Rtifacts store for a FREE download of all the technical info on the Sharp LCD, backlight, and all the MRG2.2 cable and connector pin outs.

There ain’t no doubt that the LCD resolution can be upgraded, but the challenge is to see who can do it the most cost effectively. Stereoscopic viewing? The video suggests some possible approaches, but they’re untried as far as I know.

Part 1

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 2

Click here to view the embedded video.

Typical desktop magnifier, similar to what's used in the MRG2.2

As you might have already guessed, my attorneys from Itchy & Twitchy, Esq. want you to know that disassembling and modifying electronics and power supplies can be dangerous and even life threatening. Don’t mess with this stuff if you don’t know what you’re doing. Thanks to Itchy and Twitchy, you really shouldn’t mess with this stuff, even if you do know what you’re doing. If you zap yourself, it’s not my fault; you were warned. And… don’t rub that thing, you could go blind!

Virtusphere – Virtual Hamster

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:16:15 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

This looks like the closest thing yet to a real-life holodeck! The Virtusphere is (as the name suggests) a large hollow sphere which sits on a set of computer monitored wheels. This allows the sphere to rotate a complete 360º whilst still allowing the computer to track the movments. For more information please visit www.hack247.co.uk

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Nothing New Under the Sun!

Tone — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:21:30 +0000

It’s 1985 and there’s already a nice high resolution, wide field of view VR helmet (from VPL Research), glove system, and 6 DOF tracking of both helmet and glove, thanks to Scott Fisher and NASA Ames. In particular, check out the LEEP wide FOV optics (from LEEP inventor Eric Howlett’s predecessor company Pop Optix.) These lenses became the optical basis for the Virtual Research Flight Helmet and several of the subsequent generation of VPL HMDs. 25 years later, and these lenses are still pretty much the reference standard for wide FOV. Presumably NASA funding covered the cost of the precision molds for the huge plastic lens elements.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Victormaxx Stuntmaster vs. PETA

Tone — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:57:30 +0000

This totally excellent demo of the Victormaxx Stuntmaster helmet speaks for itself. Lyme disease aside, the Stuntmaster’s wretched optical qualities seem overly cruel to this beast.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Meet My Friend “Ralph”

Tone — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:06:52 +0000

Simulator Sickness and the lingering effects of Virtual Reality, drunken behavior in particular, are the subject of this Brian Williams NBC special from 1996. Brian’s teaser: “When they were first unveiled, the science of it all was staggering, but now there’s some evidence it’s having a staggering effect… on some who use it…” A typical industry shill (me) attempts to refute these staggering claims!

Urinated in His Pants?

Regis Takes a Spin

Tone — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:54:48 +0000

You know the wave has crested when Regis and Kathie Lee make your specialty an early morning featurette. Reeg hams it up beautifully. If it hadn’t been for that 3:30am load in, it might have been perfect. Dave Polinchock provides expert narration. Quick glimpse of an SGI Indigo on the left, and the Virtual Research Flight Helmet atop Mr. Philbin. From March of 1993. PNVA3DJZPHDB

Fear of Flying? Try the Forte VFX-1

Tone — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:55:15 +0000

1994 brought a fully packaged consumer head mount, the Forte-VFX-1 Brochure. Stereoscopic and with head tracking included, it somehow found it’s way into the hands of psychologist Les Posen who employed this device to treat patients with various phobias. The video below demonstrates treatment for Aviophobia, the fear of flying (not the zipless-f**k!) I take it for granted that Les wasn’t able to help those with virtua-phobia, the fear of VR.

Click here to view the embedded video.

VFX-1

Forte VFX-1 Lenses

Forte VFX-1 Connectors

Liquid Image MRG2.2 Disassembly and Potential Upgrades

Take Flight in the Virtual World

Tone — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:55:28 +0000

By 1991, the FlightHelmet was the third HMD to feature Large Expanse Extra Perspective (LEEP) optics from Eric Howlett’s LEEP-VR. The Flight Helmet combined LEEP’s 100° field of view with an adjustable, comfortable and rugged packaging design. The use of a rear exiting cable as a counterweight made this HMD perfectly balanced.

Click here to view the embedded video.

LEEP optics were originally used in the mid 80’s by VPL Research to produce a custom (> $100,000) HMD for NASA. In 1989 VPL followed with their own product, the Eyephones which also integrated LEEP’s optics. LEEP followed a couple of years later with their own helmet, the CyberFace.

All these LEEP based helmets suffered from the same critical problem, the only color LCDs available were in small handheld consumer TVs. All three manufacturers simply stripped down these consumer TVs and integrated their guts into a head mounted display. The effect of spreading 240 horizontal pixels over a 100° field of view made each pixel seem like a floating football from the wearer’s perspective.

As second issue was that the LCDs were physically too wide to match anyone’s inter-pupilary spacing (the distance between your two eyes, about 55m-70mm.) Thus the graphics system supplying the images to each eye had to calculate images which did not completely overlap; or prisms were installed in both eyepieces to resolve the incorrect spacing.

VPL Eyephones

Epson’s entry into the small LCD (1.3″) market in 1992-1993 ended the age of LEEP helmets.

David Cassidy is Happy to Wear the Flight Helmet

Urinated in His Pants?

Tone — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:04:27 +0000

Proving that VR doesn’t automatically lead to hurling the intrepid subject of this 1995 video wolfs down a cornucopia of fast food and hops on some VR games at Toronto’s CN Tower. The manager of the arcade facility prevaricates a bit, telling us that while he’s never seen chunks, peeing one’s pants is an actual reality. We hope that’s not in the sit-down version of the Virtuality system show…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Arcade “Player Retainer” – HeadGames VR2000

Tone — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:26:53 +0000

IAPPA 1999 brought us another stand-up VR system from New York based HeadGames, the VR2000. Based on the Forte consumer head mounted display, the VR2000 also featured the “Player Retainer.” Initially I thought this was some special magic which ensured repeat play, as HeadGames projected up to $3,000/mo. revenue for this $25k system. To my chagrin the retention system is a waist high railing which keeps players from falling over. Good move!

If anyone knows what became of HeadGames, add a comment below. The Wayback Machine shows them falling off the grid in 2001.

Narrow Field of View is Good… – CyberEye 100

Tone — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:58:43 +0000

1994 brought one of the first “lightweight” head mounted displays, the CyberEye from then San Jose based General Reality. Offered in both stereoscopic and monoscopic versions, the CyberEye featured a flip-up visor which allowed users to see keyboards and monitors in the “real” world. CyberEye’s introductory letter touts the benefits of narrow field of view optics:

Dear Visualization Pioneer:

…. Many toy manufacturers stretch today’s limited pixel-count LCD panels to provide a 70 deg. or even 110 deg. FOV, resulting in low-resolution blocky images, strange optical artifacts, and huge amounts of optical distortion at the image corners. Instead, CyberEye provides crisp, undistored images equivalent to a huge 7 ft. TV (at a distance of 12 ft.)

Yes, in 1994, wide FOV head mounted displays revealed the transistor structure of the underlying LCD displays. I’m just not sure that narrow field of view makes for much of an immersive experience?

Display Mounted Head? – Kimera

Tone — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:43:19 +0000

The Kimera game system from Immersive Technologies appeared at the 1995 IAAPA show with a solution to the VR arcade’s most vexing challenge: how to keep the helmets from being damaged or stolen without a full time attendant. Taking their cue from the Fakespace Boom, Kimera had a floating/pivoting display, to which the game player leaned into and then moved about. Indeed, you would mount your head to the display. At 525 lbs., Kimera came with a proprietary game, Pyramid Pilot, custom designed for Immersive by the software developer Algorithm.

6 lbs. 12 oz. – It’s a Baby Headmount! – Liquid Image MRG2

Tone — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:11:35 +0000

The product slick offers a virtually indestructible carry case. I’m not completely sure why, as the Liquid Image MRG2 helmet shell, constructed of multi-layer fiberglass, was non-virtually (i.e. real-world) indestructible. The MRG2 was actually quite clever, inasmuch as it could be manufactured with about $200 of tools. No fancy injection molds or custom optics. Although monoscopic, it incorporated a 5″ Sharp LCD with a rectangular reading magnifier set inside ordinary rubber welder’s goggles. The MRG2 had a very wide field of view: 84 deg. horizontal.

Although it sometimes felt like one was wearing a TV set, the MRG2 was popular for public-access (i.e. arcades, trade shows, etc…) virtual reality installations. They remain popular whenever one shows up on Ebay.

Myron Kruger Takes a Spin in the Flight Helmet

Tone — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:56:08 +0000

“Virtual Reality Systems ‘93″ in the Hyatt above Grand Central Station was the end of the line for this trade show, as it was for the Virtual Research Flight Helmet which was soon to be superseded by lighter and more manufacturable HMDs. In the spirit of these pioneers, here’s a couple of snaps with Myron Kruger spinning away in the Flight Helmet. His mojo must have been pretty good as the gyro and Flight Helmet were worn by Regis Philbin on his morning show the next morning. Video to follow soon…

What to do with the Cable? – Dynamic Visions

Tone — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:37:58 +0000

If you’ve ever tried out Virtual Reality, the FIRST thing you’ll feel is the tug of the helmet cable as you virtually (and actually) try to walk down the path. Many HMDs use the weight of a rear exiting cable as a counter-weight to offset the heavy front end containing the displays and optics. In 1995 a Canadian company, Dynamic Visions, using the lightweight Kaiser Electro-Optics VIM, offered a solution (No, I’m talking about the human attendant to wrangle the cable):

Actually it’s a flexible post dangling the cable above the gamer.

A Sweet Ride – IAAPA ‘94

Tone — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:12:19 +0000

By 1994 the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) exhibition floor was packed with VR systems. As a potential marketplace, blood was in the water and you couldn’t tell the fish from the sharks. With a very few exceptions most of these companies had been chewed up, eaten and excreted as waste by the ‘95 or ‘96 show.

Motion platforms were very much the rage; safety less so by the looks of this system:

Notice he’s wearing dark shorts…

And a couple more motion platforms:

All Brawn – Virtuality 1000CS HMD

Tone — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:53:26 +0000

VR hit the arcades (at least in England) with the 1991 debut of the Virtuality 1000CS and Dactyl Nightmare. The helmet was rugged, but simply massive, with two Romex style cables to power it up. If you’ve ever wondered why the HMD was such a bruiser, have a peek inside. Notice the thick walled plastic shell and the gobs of putty used to fill out the interior shape. Back in the day, tiny LCD displays were not the norm. Virtuality used a pair of fairly large Panasonic LCD monitors … too large, in fact, to be positioned side-by-side in front of any gamer’s eyes. Let’s dissect and see:

Fully assembled – Here’s where you stick your head

Here’s what’s in front of your eyes
Notice the fairly large LCD (also another facing upwards just out of sight on the bottom of this photo
And… a pair of 45 deg. front surface mirrors to bounce the images into your eyes
Notice the cutouts for your nose

Click here to view the embedded video.

Virtuality at the Trocadero, London, 1991

Virtual Vision Helps You Wash Your Car…

Tone — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:59:56 +0000

Back in 1993 this $700 device promised you could watch TV and wash your car at the same time, a claim seemingly backed up by Consumer Reports:

You had to live with one eye, but hey, it’s early VR technology… Watch what CNN has to say:

Easy Sterilization – VIM

Tone — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:09:09 +0000

While the “easy sterilization” part was a little off-putting, this unique HMD was quite light-weight, although thin (not cheap) plastic made it more fragile than most.

My personal experience with this little fella revolves around the setup for a 1995 client trade show in Lisbon, arriving, VIM in hand, straight off the red-eye. Before I even got started, the cable strain relief at the back of the helmet gave way, and I spent the morning guessing where each of the 30 color-coded wires should be soldered.

For all the factoids, read the VIM Brochure!