In August 2021, the LEAPX team received an invitation from the confidential brand to lead the design of a high-performance professional-grade head-mounted AR device.

Looking at the optical perspective (optical see-through) AR glasses market, there are two types of mainstream imaging methods-optical waveguide and surface reflection. For a larger FOV (viewing angle) and lower cost, this project decided to adopt a surface reflection scheme. The curved reflection scheme is imaged by the screen, and the reflected virtual image (yellow) and the real world image (blue) are fused and transmitted to the human eye through a semi-reflective and semi-transparent lens to form an augmented reality effect.

In order to prevent the optical device from interfering and the human eye can focus comfortably, the curved reflection scheme requires a long distance between the reflective lens and the screen, resulting in the AR products using the optical scheme tend to be bulky and heavy to wear on the head.

In order to enhance the interaction with reality, LEAPX AR glasses are equipped with powerful processing chips, SLAM module (one depth camera, two fisheye cameras, two infrared sensors for gesture recognition) and eye tracking module. Driving these components generates a lot of heat and also requires a large battery to ensure life.

If a fan is built into the headset to dissipate heat, it will bring obvious noise to the wearer; and a large battery will also increase the weight of the device and affect the long-term wearing experience.

Under these restrictions, how to reasonably arrange the layout of each module to ensure the function and performance, optimize heat dissipation, ensure the stability and comfort of wearing, and maintain the light and beautiful shape at the same time?

These are all design issues that the LEAPX team needs to address at the same time in this project.

Through divergent exploration, we found that the large volume in front of LEAPX AR glasses is hollowed out, so that the screen and forehead support are independently integrated and suspended in the middle of the main body, which can not only greatly reduce the bulkiness and make it lighter visually, but also greatly improve the heat dissipation performance of the product due to the increased surface area and hollow air passage.

The hollow design increases the heat dissipation area, improves the ventilation efficiency and brings a light visual effect.

Because the lens of the optical component is far away from the human eye, the force arm is long, and the weight of the five cameras and drive boards in front will cause the center of gravity of the AR device to be too forward and difficult to wear comfortably.

Therefore, we place the computing unit and the battery at the back of the head, so that the center of gravity of the whole machine is centered, balanced front and rear, and more comfortable to wear. Such an integrated AR head display device does not need an external battery and a computing unit, and is easier to wear.

Computing & Power Unit

In order to facilitate the finger touch, the touchpad is placed in the front right, so that the afterlight can help the finger to find the touchpad. On this basis, the bump texture is also added to help the finger identify the effective touch area.

Forehead rest

As the product is aimed at the domestic market, we have launched a survey of the head size of the Chinese people and standardized the head circumference adjustment range: the length adjustment of the headband cannot meet the extreme situation of the minimum 163mm and the maximum 235mm due to the space limitation in the machine. We take the average value of 188mm as the benchmark to increase the adjustment range as much as possible. The width is set at 176.8mm, because the headband is a soft material and is compatible with the widest sample of 179mm.

The shape of the head varies from person to person. In order to increase the contact area with the occipital bone and better share the pressure of the head, we try our best to widen the back head support. The internal "fishbone" support structure is used to fit different human head curves, while the middle knob is used to adjust the size of the head circumference.

Considering that some users need to wear it for a long time, a top headband accessory can be installed to disperse the pressure on the forehead and back of the head.

In order to enhance the interaction with reality, the front of the glasses is equipped with a depth camera, two fisheye cameras, two eye tracking cameras, a light sensor, a gesture infrared supplementary light, and 18 infrared eye positioning lights.

As an AR product, the presentation of real and virtual images is equally important. The electrochromic film technology can automatically adjust the light transmittance according to the ambient light, and ensure the display effect of the interactive interface when switching indoor and outdoor scenes. It can also be used to switch modes, such as the audio-visual mode to minimize the light transmittance to achieve an immersive experience; the transparent mode increases the light transmittance to reduce visual interference to the real environment and facilitate interaction with the real world.

During the project, the LEAPX team conducted modeling exploration in different directions and a large number of various forms of physical model verification (only the exhibition part).

Hollow design preliminary scheme 3D presentation

In order to make the screen more fit the arc of the head, we also put forward the idea of adjusting the screen spacing and angle. According to optical calculations, the reflective lens will also be more rounded and compact, and look lighter.

Inspired by the design of AirPods Max dome net, we tried to design and develop the head support of suspended breathable fabric to improve breathability, disperse weight and reduce the pressure of the head, and made several prototype versions for testing and verification. It is a pity that due to the lack of research and development resources and time, it has not continued to land on the final product.

In the course of this project, we tested many mainstream AR products at that time (2021), and believed that the current AR technology was difficult to meet the actual needs of ordinary consumers in terms of final experience and cost, and was more suitable for playing a role in the professional field. LEAPX AR glasses, on the other hand, are perhaps the most balanced design among professional AR glasses currently using curved reflective optics in terms of functionality, wearability and styling.

Sometimes the bottleneck of technical performance cannot be broken through by industrial design alone, but we believe that technology will develop rapidly in the next few years, bringing new possibilities to consumer AR product design and commercial landing. And we also look forward to participating in such industry innovation again, combining technology and design to create a new generation of AR products.

Design Team: Wei Feng | Deng Yumian | Chen Kaihuang | Wang Yusen | Siyoon Kim | Ding Chenyu


About

LEAPX is a design studio founded by the original DJI Mavic Series Lead Designer/Product Manager. We believe in the value of design, in this impetuous environment to sink the heart to seriously design. Our goal is to combine technology and humanities in different industries to make innovative designs that can bring industry changes like Mavic.


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