Stanford University engineers have unveiled a prototype of ultra-thin holographic glass for mixed reality (XR) technology, with an optical thickness of less than 3 mm.
The technology is based on AI-controlled waveguides using a volume Bragg lattice (VBG). The new optical system, consisting of a MEMS mirror and a collimated laser, creates a "synthetic aperture" and increases the field of view.
The team is also working on the so-called visual Turing test. If the user cannot distinguish between a holographic image and a real object, the system is considered to have passed this test. Scientists claim that holography produces far less distortion than traditional stereoscopic displays because light is bent in the same way as it would from a real object.
This is key to overcoming the "uncanny valley" effect of digital graphics. Since 2024, researchers have increased the prototype's field of view from 11 degrees horizontally to 34.2 degrees and vertically to 20.2 degrees. This is still less than commercially available headsets, but the progress is clear. In the future, these glasses could become the new standard for XR, replacing bulky headsets.
