Abstract: A switchable optical assembly comprises a switchable waveplate configured to be electrically activated and deactivated to selectively alter the polarization state of light incident thereon. The switchable waveplate comprises first and second surfaces and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second surfaces. The first liquid crystal layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. Said first and second surfaces may be curved. Said plurality of liquid crystal molecules may vary in tilt with respect to said first and second surfaces with outward radial distance from an axis through said first and second surfaces and said liquid crystal layer in a plurality of radial directions. The switchable waveplate additionally comprises a first plurality of electrodes to apply an electrical signal across said first liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: An augmented reality (AR) device is described with a display system configured to adjust an apparent distance between a user of the AR device and virtual content presented by the AR device. The AR device includes a first tunable lens that change shape in order to affect the position of the virtual content. Distortion of real-world content on account of the changes made to the first tunable lens is prevented by a second tunable lens that changes shape to stay substantially complementary to the optical configuration of the first tunable lens. In this way, the virtual content can be positioned at almost any distance relative to the user without degrading the view of the outside world or adding extensive bulk to the AR device. The augmented reality device can also include tunable lenses for expanding a field of view of the augmented reality device.

Abstract: A method in a virtual, augmented, or mixed reality system includes a GPU determining/detecting an absence of image data. The method also includes shutting down a portion/component/function of the GPU. The method further includes shutting down a communication link between the GPU and a DB. Moreover, the method includes shutting down a portion/component/function of the DB. In addition, the method includes shutting down a communication link between the DB and a display panel. The further also includes shutting down a portion/component/function of the display panel.

Abstract: A light emitting user input device can include a touch sensitive portion configured to accept user input (e.g., from a user's thumb) and a light emitting portion configured to output a light pattern. The light pattern can be used to assist the user in interacting with the user input device. Examples include emulating a multi-degree-of-freedom controller, indicating scrolling or swiping actions, indicating presence of objects nearby the device, indicating receipt of notifications, assisting pairing the user input device with another device, or assisting calibrating the user input device. The light emitting user input device can be used to provide user input to a wearable device, such as, e.g., a head mounted display device.

Abstract: An eyepiece for projecting an image includes a first planar waveguide positioned in a first lateral plane. The first planar waveguide comprises a first diffractive optical element (DOE) disposed at a first lateral position. The eyepiece also includes a second planar waveguide positioned in a second lateral plane adjacent to the first lateral plane. The second planar waveguide comprises a second DOE disposed at a second lateral position different from the first lateral position. The eyepiece further includes a third planar waveguide positioned in a third lateral plane adjacent to the second lateral plane. The third planar waveguide comprises a third DOE disposed at a third lateral position different from the first lateral position and the second lateral position. The eyepiece also includes an optical filter positioned between the second planar waveguide and the third planar waveguide. The optical filter is disposed at the third lateral position.

Abstract: A cross reality system that renders virtual content generated by executing native mode applications may be configured to render web-based content using components that render content from native applications. The system may include a Prism manager that provides Prisms in which content from executing native applications is rendered. For rendering web based content, a browser, accessing the web based content, may be associated with a Prism and may render content into its associated Prism, creating the same immersive experience for the user as when content is generated by a native application. The user may access the web application from the same program launcher menu as native applications. The system may have tools that enable a user to access these capabilities, including by creating for a web location an installable entity that, when processed by the system, results in an icon for the web content in a program launcher menu.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for operating a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor. The TOF may be operated in a low power mode by repeatedly performing a low power mode sequence, which may include performing a depth frame by emitting light pulses, detecting reflected light pulses, and computing a depth map based on the detected reflected light pulses. Performing the low power mode sequence may also include performing an amplitude frame at least one time by emitting a light pulse, detecting a reflected light pulse, and computing an amplitude map based on the detected reflected light pulse. In response to determining that an activation condition is satisfied, the TOF may be switched to operate in a high accuracy mode by repeatedly performing a high accuracy mode sequence, which may include performing the depth frame multiple times.

Abstract: Configurations are disclosed for presenting virtual reality and augmented reality experiences to users. The system may comprise an image capturing device to capture one or more images, the one or more images corresponding to a field of the view of a user of a head-mounted augmented reality device, and a processor communicatively coupled to the image capturing device to extract a set of map points from the set of images, to identify a set of sparse points and a set of dense points from the extracted set of map points, and to perform a normalization on the set of map points.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for allowing a user's hands to interact with virtual objects. An image of at least one hand may be received from an image capture devices. A plurality of keypoints associated with at least one hand may be detected. In response to determining that a hand is making or is transitioning into making a particular gesture, a subset of the plurality of keypoints may be selected. An interaction point may be registered to a particular location relative to the subset of the plurality of keypoints based on the particular gesture. A proximal point may be registered to a location along the user's body. A ray may be cast from the proximal point through the interaction point. A multi-DOF controller for interacting with the virtual object may be formed based on the ray.

Abstract: A cross reality system enables any of multiple devices to efficiently and accurately access previously stored maps and render virtual content specified in relation to those maps. The cross reality system may include a cloud-based localization service that responds to requests from devices to localize with respect to a stored map. The request may include one or more sets of feature descriptors extracted from an image of the physical world around the device. Those features may be posed relative to a coordinate frame used by the local device. The localization service may identify one or more stored maps with a matching set of features. Based on a transformation required to align the features from the device with the matching set of features, the localization service may compute and return to the device a transformation to relate its local coordinate frame to a coordinate frame of the stored map.

Abstract: A visual perception device has a look-up table stored in a laser driver chip. The look-up table includes relational gain data to compensate for brighter areas of a laser pattern wherein pixels are located more closely than areas where the pixels are further apart and to compensate for differences in intensity of individual pixels when the intensities of pixels are altered due to design characteristics of an eye piece.

Abstract: Described are two-dimensional scanning micromirror devices, scanning image display systems that incorporate a two-dimensional scanning micromirror device, and methods of projecting light using two-dimensional scanning micromirror devices. The disclosed two-dimensional scanning micromirror devices can be driven at or near the resonant oscillation frequency of the micromirror structure, which can result in lower power operation. In addition, by driving the micromirror structure at multiple different frequencies, the reflected light can be directed along a non-sinusoidal path, which can improve a tilt angle of the projected light compared with reflected light directed along a sinusoidal path.

Abstract: Examples of the disclosure describe systems and methods for presenting an audio signal to a user of a wearable head device. According to an example method, a source location corresponding to the audio signal is identified. For each of the respective left and right ear of the user, a virtual speaker position, of a virtual speaker array, is determined, the virtual speaker position collinear with the source location and with a position of the respective ear. For each of the respective left and right ear of the user, a head-related transfer function (HRTF) corresponding to the virtual speaker position and to the respective ear is determined; and the output audio signal is presented to the respective ear of the user via one or more speakers associated with the wearable head device. Processing the audio signal includes applying the HRTF to the audio signal.

Abstract: Augmented reality glasses include near eye displays the include sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light optical coupled to spatial phase modulators or active zone plate modulators and optically coupled to eye coupling optics. The sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light can include emissive 2D display panels or light sources coupled to imagewise amplitude modulators. The eye coupling optics can include volume holographic diffraction gratings.

Abstract: Techniques for fusing hand pose data associated with a user's hand with handheld device pose data associated with a handheld device. In some embodiments, both of a user's hands are utilized in embodiments described herein. The hand pose data including a position of the hand within a reference frame is captured using a hand pose sensor. The handheld device pose data including a position of the handheld device within the reference frame is captured using a handheld device pose sensor. A pose discrepancy between the hand pose data and the handheld device pose data is determined, the pose discrepancy including at least a position discrepancy between the position of the hand and the position of the handheld device. A fusion operation is performed based on the pose discrepancy.

Abstract: An image sensor suitable for use in an augmented reality system to provide low latency image analysis with low power consumption. The image sensor may have multiple pixel cells, each of the pixel cells comprising a photodetector to generate an electric signal based on an intensity of light incident upon the photodetector. The pixel cells may include multiple subsets of pixel cells, each subset of pixel cells including at least one angle-of-arrival to-intensity converter to modulate incident light reaching one or more of the pixel cells in the subset based on an angle of arrival of the incident light. Each pixel cell within the plurality of pixel cells may include differential readout circuitry configured to output a readout signal only when an amplitude of a current electric signal from the photodetector is different from an amplitude of a previous electric signal from the photodetector.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to a user interaction system having a head unit for a user to wear and a totem that the user holds in their hand and determines the location of a virtual object that is seen by the user. A fusion routine generates a fused location of the totem in a world frame based on a combination of an EM wave and a totem IMU data. The fused pose may drift over time due to the sensor's model mismatch. An unfused pose determination modeler routinely establishes an unfused pose of the totem relative to the world frame. A drift is declared when a difference between the fused pose and the unfused pose is more than a predetermined maximum distance.

Abstract: Systems and methods for interacting with virtual objects in a three-dimensional space using a wearable system are disclosed. The wearable system can be programmed to permit user interaction with interactable objects in a field of regard (FOR) of a user. The FOR includes a portion of the environment around the user that is capable of being perceived by the user via the AR system. The system can determine a group of interactable objects in the FOR of the user and determine a pose of the user. The system can update, based on a change in the pose or a field of view (FOV) of the user, a subgroup of the interactable objects that are located in the FOV of the user and receive a selection of a target interactable object from the subgroup of interactable objects. The system can initiate a selection event on the target interactable object.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for matching a base mesh to a target mesh for a virtual avatar or object are disclosed. The systems and methods may be configured to automatically match a base mesh of an animation rig to a target mesh, which may represent a particular pose of the virtual avatar or object. Base meshes may be obtained by manipulating an avatar or object into a particular pose, while target meshes may be obtain by scanning, photographing, or otherwise obtaining information about a person or object in the particular pose. The systems and methods may automatically match a base mesh to a target mesh using rigid transformations in regions of higher error and non-rigid deformations in regions of lower error.