The international technology group SCHOTT has unveiled SCHOTT RealView, a breakthrough in high-index glass wafer that allow for more immersive augmented reality (AR) applications. The new SCHOTT RealView glass are made form optical glass with a high refractive index, allowing for a wider field of view when used in AR devices.
This new advancement gives AR device manufactures the opportunity to expand the field of view to the limit of human peripheral vision. SCHOTT RealView lays the groundwork for sizable advances in the field which in turn will lead to more immersive consumer AR devices and experiences in the future.
“Augmented reality should still look like reality,” said Dr. Rüdiger Sprengard, Vice President and Head of Augmented Reality, Advanced Optics at SCHOTT. “To raise the bar and meet the requirements of this rapidly expanding market, manufacturers need superior optical wafers with qualities a full order of magnitude greater than what has previously appeared on the market – a challenge SCHOTT scientists and engineers have accepted in the spirit of pushing the limits of process technology and metrology.”
The researchers at SCHOTT have been hard at work the past few years to leverage their expertise in melting and surface processing of optical materials alongside working on AR technologies to bring the two together. The reveal of the SCHOTT RealView is the result of the teams hard work on design, prototyping, and processes proven in mass production, offering tailor-made optical glass solutions for AR.
“We have the advantage of being a fully integrated supplier, covering every step of the process to control properties that are key to the quality of the image: glass melt, wafer processing, and optical coatings,” said Dr. Sprengard. “We have invested in the infrastructure to ensure we’re fully capable of ramping-up production to meet demand.”
Users of the SCHOTT RealView will be able to benefit from the increase into field of view to enjoy more immersive AR experiences unlike anything they have seen before. Elsewhere the SCHOTT RealView is ten times flatter than the industry standard glass wafers which will help in reducing the overall size of AR devices and headsets.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the SCHOTT RealView high-index glass wafers in the future so stay tuned for more.