First Look: Kopin NeuralDisplay Integrates Eye Tracking and Brightness Adjustments to XR Displays
Last week I got to cosplay as a next-generation sci-fi soldier and see (literally) the future of augmented reality. I met with Kopin Corporation executives to discuss their microdisplay technology for augmented reality and got to try out their latest product, but I was not allowed to photograph it in use, because it is quite literally integrated into current helmet systems used by U.S. and allied military forces. Kopin's tech is also used today in consumer and medical products, helping surgeons guide robotic arms without having to look up at monitors and down at the controls -- and risk making unintentional movements. (Cosplaying as a neurosurgeon was the one I *was* allowed to photograph.)
The U.S. Army has a contract with Microsoft to get HoloLens integrated into future helmets, but in the meantime, the Kopin Dayvas and Nightwave optics give soldiers the ability to see key tactical and targeting information without having to light up a handheld display, and that keeps them safer in the field. These microdisplays are built into a lightweight, low-power, ruggedized modular unit that snaps onto existing helmet systems.
Kopin also showed off patented NeuralDisplay technology that integrates CMOS (camera) sensors into its display so that the display can monitor your eye while it presents you with information. The idea here is twofold: if you build a camera into the display itself, you can eliminate the ring of cameras that existing AR and VR headsets like Apple Vision Pro use to track your eyes. The bigger reason is to provide instant feedback on your pupil dilation so that panel brightness levels can be adjusted to match in realtime. Research has shown that emotional responses generate a reaction in your eyes -- the reason the phrase 'wide-eyed with wonder' exists, as your pupils really do get wider very, very quickly. That means that as you're getting overwhelmed by emotional response to your situation, you're also getting overwhelmed (read: blinded) by light from your headset. This is a potentially deadly problem for pilots and soldiers trying to manage stressful situations, information overload, and painful or now obstructed vision. It is also a problem for VR gamers and even movie lovers watching content in their headsets — Kopin claims that research by content owners shows that many people don’t finish movies started in VR because of constant brightness levels.
As Kopin develops this technology over the next decade, I expect Kopin to deploy its displays with the military directly, but it hopes to license NeuralDisplay to other display and XR companies for use in civilian enterprise and consumer XR devices.
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