Nowadays, with advancements in technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and so forth, users of specialized devices are able to experience digitally simulated environments (namely, virtual worlds). Specifically, such simulated environments enhance a user's perception of reality around him/her by providing the user with a feeling of complete involvement in the simulated environments using contemporary techniques such as stereoscopy. Moreover, such simulated environments relate to fully virtual environments (namely, virtual reality) as well as real-world environments including virtual objects therein (namely, augmented reality).
Typically, the user may utilize specialized devices, such as an augmented reality device, for experiencing such simulated environments. For example, the augmented reality device may be a binocular augmented reality device (for example, such as augmented reality glasses) having one display per eye, and cameras to capture a real-world environment of a user. In other words, the displays of the binocular augmented reality device show different two-dimensional images of virtual objects to the left and right eyes of the user for making the virtual objects appear realistic from a perspective of the user. Examples of such augmented reality devices include near-eye displays such as augmented reality headsets, augmented reality lenses, and so forth.
However, conventional augmented reality devices have certain limitations. For example, the size of displays suitable for closely imitating visual acuity of the human eyes is too large to be accommodated within the conventionally available augmented reality devices that aim to be moderately small. Specifically, displays with field of view comparable to the human eyes are dimensionally very large, and therefore, not suitable for use in such augmented reality devices.
Moreover, presently available augmented reality devices are unable to achieve optimum trade-off between the field of view and angular resolution, thereby, compromising on either the field of view, or on the angular resolution. Furthermore, the presently available augmented reality devices, namely see-through augmented reality devices, are operable to render the simulated environments in a limited field of view and/or a limited angular resolution. Consequently, the presently available augmented reality devices are limited in their capability to render realistic and/or highly detailed virtual objects in a large field of view.
Furthermore, conventional augmented reality devices are unable to resolve vergence-accommodation conflict, thereby causing strain in the eyes of the user. The cause is typically two-fold: 1. Inability to cover convergence of eye needed to focus at close-by objects (as displays are too small to cover enough horizontal field of view to cater for both focus at long and short distance) and 2. Inability to change optical focus distance to reflect the actual real world distance. Therefore, the conventional augmented reality devices are limited in their ability to mimic the human visual system.
Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with conventional augmented reality devices.