EyeTap

An EyeTap (English " Augenanzapfung ") is a monocle like the head-mounted display, which is worn in front of the eye and combines the functions of a camera and a display. The EyeTap hidden computer-generated images into the user-perceived scene.

The EyeTap implements augmented reality, that is, it adds to the sense perceptions of the support to computer-based information. Unlike virtual reality, which closed VR helmets foreclose the support of his environment, the user of the EyeTap takes its surroundings continue to exercise.

EyeTaps catch a portion of the incident light rays from the eye to what the eye sees as closely as possible to take. A camera digitizes the image of the scene caught and sends it to a computer, which sends it to the processing in a projector. The projector reverses the edited image in the same place where it was removed first, again in sight and thus superimposed on the original scene. Last and not fall both light rays that pass through the EyeTap unchanged, as well as artificially generated light beams into the eye. This results in a clean, transparent overlay of the real and the computer generated image. Stereo EyeTaps change the point of view of both eyes equally, most prototypes tap the sake of simplicity but only the light of the eyes.

EyeTap is also the name of a company that was founded by the EyeTap - inventor Steve Mann. Steve Mann is a well known visionary of cyborg technology, promoter of wearable computing and critics of government monitoring (see Sousveillance ).

Possible applications

An EyeTap is comparable in some ways with a head-up display. The main difference, however, is that the computer not only projects the display, but can also access additional perceived by the eye scene. In this way it is possible in theory to vary the computer-generated image in dependence on the natural image. An appropriate use would be conceivable, for example in sports: the carrier of the EyeTap could follow a specific player on the field, while the computer is statistical data in a small info box hovering over the players in the stadium. The " EyeTap " criteria are an attempt to define how close a really useful device such ideal comes. EyeTaps are found mainly in areas of application where users would benefit from visual, interactive, real- time information. This technique is sometimes referred to as the " augmented reality ."

In addition, they offer a wide range of military applicability, as for the fast determination of distances, enemy detection, or obtaining information about the terrain.

Operation

An EyeTap is usually equipped with a computer-controlled laser light source that synthesizes the new images to the eye. This allows, for example, a billboard which the user views will be used to represent a personal message, such as an email. Although a manufacturer of head-mounted displays have a very similar name ( " Eyetop " ) has chosen is in a EyeTap not only a simple display, but also simultaneously to a recording device.

As the device captures light rays collinear run to the rays that hit directly in the center of the eye, showing the direct look in the eye of a "Cyborg Loggers" something like a lens or a similar installation looks and directly in the eye socket seems to be mounted. The reason is that the iris of the lens is mapped exactly to the iris of the eye - so to the same point at which the laser light beams pass on their way to the retina.

The principle of EyeTap can also be applied to other forms of electromagnetic energy.