Augmented and Virtual Reality

Wearable computing, i.e. virtual and augmented reality, is a new medium that provides unprecedented user experiences. Eventually, wearable computing systems will redefine communication, entertainment, education, collaborative work, simulation, training, telesurgery, and basic vision research. Before these systems become practical for the consumer, two major challenges have to be solved: (i) the hardware systems have to be miniaturized into a socially-acceptable, i.e. eyeglasses-like, device form factor while providing sufficient battery life and (ii) the user experiences offered by these systems have to surpass those of existing system, such as phones, tablets, television, etc. This chapter outlines technical challenges to achieving these goals and summarizes the state of the art of related algorithms, optics, and electronics.