Information storage and processing, electronic recording of sound and images, electronic communications, and electronic entertainment systems have become widespread, and portable applications of these technologies are growing rapidly. The integration of a camera with a head-mounted display was disclosed by Hawthorne in U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,436 for use in camcorder systems. In this case, only the display is placed on the head and the camera is held in the operator's hand. U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,510 discloses a system for superimposing an image of an object. The camera described in this patent is separate from the user, requiring significant processing to correct for the large parallax angle between the camera and user's view.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,716, Holakovsky discloses a head mounted stereoscopic vision system for the purpose of providing television audio and video information to the user. U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,479 discloses safety glasses comprising audio speakers, a microphone, and a heads-up display. The speakers are placed in protective ear inserts in order to attenuate external noise. U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,743 to Vogt discloses a radio receiver and speakers mounted in an eyeglass frame, but includes no provision for audio input or for video input or output. U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,345 to daSilva discloses an audio system enclosed in an eyeglass retainer that is substantially separate from any eyeglass system to which it may be attached. Hearing aid audio components have been mounted in eyewear.
Ritchey, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,130,794 and 5,495,576, discloses a panoramic display and its use in an audio-visual virtual reality/telepresence system. This system is designed specifically to allow immersive interaction with a remote or virtual object. An electronic camera in the nose frame of eyewear has been offered for sale by one organization that provides covert surveillance devices.