Augmented Glass

Science fiction had been showing transparent handheld displays for years. In 2011, with tablets taking off, we wanted to know what such a device would actually be like to hold and use, and whether it could be a new product category beyond the tablet.

A thin, transparent handheld display with minimal bezel for immersive mobile AR. A forward camera captures the environment; a user-facing camera tracks the face for view-dependent rendering, so the content lines up with the world behind the glass. The project explored practical solutions for holding and interacting with something this thin and transparent.

I built the early prototypes from Meccano parts to test and refine the concept quickly, then the coated glass panels and pico-projector rig, and used them to explore interaction design, ergonomics and usability for optical see-through devices. Keystone correction was implemented later. The work was completed in November 2011.

Tablet-sized glass panels are coated for back-projection and lit by a portable pico projector. Two cameras complete the system: one facing forward to capture the surroundings, one facing the user for facial tracking and view-dependent rendering.

A set of working prototypes and a clear understanding of the interaction, ergonomic and optical constraints of transparent handheld displays, completed in November 2011 as a step toward redefining the tablet.