Introduction: Challenge from Bosworth Accepted

Several people pointed me to an interesting Instagram video AMA (ask me anything) by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth on October 21, 2024, that appeared to challenge my October 6th article, Meta Orion AR Glasses (Pt. 1 Waveguide), which discussed both transparency and “Eye Glow” (what Bosworth Referred to as “Blue Glow”) — Challenge Accepted.

On the right is a Google Search for “Meta” [and] “Orion” [and] “Eye Glow” OR “Blue Glow” from Sept 7th (Orion announced) through Oct 28, 2024. Everything pertinent to the issue was from this blog or was citing this blog. A Google Search for “Meta Orion” and “blue glow” returns nothing. Shown on the right is a Google search.

As far as I can find, this blog (and a few other sites citing this blog) has been the only one reporting on Meta Orion’s transparency or Eye Glow. So when Bosworth said, “Another thing that was kind of funny about the reviews is people were like, oh, you know you can see the blue glow well,” who else could he be referring to?

Housekeeping – Parts 2 and 3 of the Snap and Orion Roundtable are to be released soon.

The rest of the two-hour roundtable discussion about Snap Spectacles and Meta Orion should be released soon. Part 2 will focus on Meta Orion. Part 3 will discuss more applications and market issues, along with some scuttlebutt about Meta’s EMG wristband controller.

Bosworth’s Statement on Transparency and Eye Glow in Instagram AMA Video – Indirect Shout Out to this Blog

Below is computer transcription with minor light to clean up the speech-to-text and add punctuation and capitalization) of Bosworth’s October 21, 2024, AMA on Instagram, starting at about 14:22 into the video.

14:22 Question: What % of light does Orion block from your view of the world, how much is it darkened?

I don’t know exactly. So, all glass limits transmission to some degree. So, even if you have completely clear glasses, you know, maybe they take you from 100% transmission up your eyes like 97% um, and normal sunglasses that you have are much darker than you think they’re like 17% transmissive is like a standard for sunglasses.  Orion is clear. It’s closer [to clear], I don’t know what the exact number is, but it’s closer to regular prescription glasses than any kind of glasses [in context, he sounds like he is referring to other AR glasses]. There’s no tint on it [Orion]. We did put tint on a couple of demo units so we could see what that looked like, but that’s not how they [Orion] work.

I won’t get into the electrochromic and that kind of stuff.  Some people were theorizing that they were tinted to increase contrast. This is not uncommon [for AR] glasses. We’re actually quite proud that these were not. If I was wearing them, and you’re looking at my eyes, you would just see my eyes.

Note that Bosworth mentioned electrochromic [dimming] but “won’t get into it.” As I stated in Orion Part 1, I believe Orion has electrochromic (electrically controlled) dimming. While not asked, Bosworth gratuitously discusses “Blue Glow,” which in context can only mean “Eye Glow.”

Another thing that was kind of funny about the reviews is people were like, oh, you know you can see the blue glow well. What we noticed was so funny was the photographers from the press who were taking pictures of the glasses would work hard to get this one angle, which is like 15 degrees down and to the side where you do see the blue glow.  That’s what we’re actually shunting the light to. If you’re standing in front of me looking at my eyes, you don’t see the glow, you just see my eyes. We really worked hard on that we’re very proud of it.

But of course, if you’re the person who’s assigned by some journalist outfit to take pictures of these new AR glasses, you want to have pictures that look like you can see something special or different about them. It was so funny as every Outlet included that one angle. And if you look at them all now, you’ll see that they’re all taken from this one specific down and to the side angle.

As far as I can find (it’s difficult to search), this blog is the only place that has discussed the transparency percentage of Orion’s glasses (see: Light Transmission (Dimming?)). Also, as discussed in the introduction, this blog is the only one discussing eye glow (see Eye Glow) in the same article. Then, consider how asking about the percentage of light blockage caused Bosworth to discuss blue [eye] glow — a big coincidence?

But what caused me to write this article is the factually incorrect statement that the only place [the glow] is visible is from “15 degrees down and to the side.“ He doth protest too much, methinks. Most graciously

Orion’s Glow is in pictures taken from more than “taken from this one specific down and to the side angle”

To begin with, the image I show in Meta Orion AR Glasses (Pt. 1 Waveguide), shows a more or less straight-on shot from a video by The Verge (right). It is definitely not shot from a “down and to the side angle.”

In fact, I was able to find images with Bosworth in which the camera was roughly straight on, from down and to the side, and even looking down on the Orion glasses Bosworth’s Sept. 25, 2024, Instagram video and in Adam Savage’s Tested video (far right below).

In the same The Verge Video, there is eye-glow with Mark Zuckerburg looking almost straight on into the camera and from about eye level to the side.

The eye glow was even captured by the person wearing another Orion headset when playing a pong-like game. The images below are composites of the Orion camera and what was shown in the glasses; thus, they are simulated views (and NOT through the Orion’s waveguide). The stills are from The Verge (left) and CNBC (right).

Below are more views of the eye-glow (mostly blue in this case) from the same The Verge video.

The eye glow stills frames below were captured from a CNBC video.

Here are a few more examples of eye glow that were taken while playing the pong-like game from roughly the same location as the CNBC frames above right. They were taken from about even with the glasses but off to the side.

In summary, there is plenty of evidence that the eye glow from Meta’s Orion can be seen from many different angles, not just from below but also from the side, as Bosworth states.

Meta Orion’s Transparency and Electrochromic Dimming

Bosworth’s deflection on the question of Orion’s light transmission

Bosworth started by correctly saying that nothing manmade is completely transparent. A typical (uncoated) glass reflects about 8% of the light. Eyeglasses with good antireflective coatings reflect about 0.5%. The ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, safety glasses standard, specifies “clear” as >85% transmission. Bosworth appears to catch himself knowing that there is a definition for clear and says that Orion is “closer to clear” than sunglasses at about 17%.

Bosworth then says there is “no tint” in Orion, but respectfully, that was NOT the question. He then says, “I won’t get into the electrochromic and that kind of stuff,” which is likely a major contributor to the light transmission. Any dimming technology I know of is going to block much more light than a typical waveguide. The transparency of Orion is a function of the waveguide, dimming layer, other optics layers, and inner and outer protection covers.

Since Bosworth evaded answering the question, I will work through it and try to get an answer. The process will include trying to figure out what kind of dimming I think Orion uses.

What type of electrochromic dimming is Orion Using?

First, I want to put in context what my first article was discussing regarding Orion’s Light Transmission (Dimming?). I was well aware that diffractive waveguides, even glass ones, alone are typically about 85-90% transmissive. From various photographs, I’m pretty sure Orion has some form of electrochromic dimming, as I stated in the first article. I could see the dimming change in one video, and in view of the exploded parts, there appeared to be a dimming device. In looking at this figure, the dimming device seems fairly transparent and on the order of the waveguides and other flat optics. What I was trying to figure out was whether they were using more common polarization-based dimming or a non-polarization-based technology. This picture is inconclusive as to the type of dimming that is used, as the dimmer identified (by me) might be only the liquid crystal part of the shutter with the polarizers, if there are any, in the cover glass or not shown.

The Magic Leap 2 (see: Magic Leap 2 (Pt. 3): Soft Edge Occlusion, a Solution for Investors and Not Users). Polarization-based dimming is fast and gives a very wide range of dimming (from 10:1 to >100:1), but it requires the real-world light first to be polarized, and when everything is considered, it blocks more than 70% of the light. It’s also possible to get somewhat better transmission by using semi-polarizing polarizers, but it gives up a lot of dimming range to gain some transmission. Polarization also causes issues when looking at LCDs, such as computer monitors and some cell phones.

Non-polarization dimming (see, for example, CES & AR/VR/MR Pt. 4 – FlexEnable’s Dimming, Electronic Lenses, & Curved LCDs) blocks less light in its most transmissive state but has less of a dimming range. For example, FlexEnable has a dimming cell that ranges between ~87% transmissive to 35% or less than a 3:1 dimming range. Snap Spectacles 5 uses (based on a LinkedIn post that has since been removed) a non-polarization-based electrochromic dimming by Alphamicron, what they call e-Tint. Both AlphaMicron’s e-Tint and FlexEnable’s dimming use what is known as  Guest-Host LC, which absorbs light rather than changing polarization.

Assuming Orion uses non-polarization dimming, I would assume that the waveguide and related optical surfaces have about 85-90% transmissivity and about 70% to 80% for non-polarization dimming. Since the two effects are multiplicative, that would put Orion in the 90%x80% = 72% to 85 x70% = 60% range.

Orion’s Dimming

Below are a series of images from videos by CNET, The Verge, and Bloomberg. Notice that CNET’s image appears to be much more transmissive. On both CNET and The Verge, I included eye glow pictures from a few frames in the video later to prove both glasses were turned on. CNET’s Orion glasses are significantly more transparent than any other Orion video I have seen (from over 10 I have looked at to date), even when looking at the same demos as in the videos. I missed this big difference when preparing my original article and only discovered it when preparing this article.

Below are some more frame captures on the top row. On the bottom row, there are pictures of the Lumus Maximus (the most transparent waveguide I have seen), WaveOptic Titan, The Magic Leap One (with no tint), and circular polarizing glasses for comparison. The circular polarizing glasses are approximately what I would expect if the Orion glasses were using polarizing dimming.

Snap Spectacles 5, which uses non-polarization dimming, is shown on the left. It compares reasonably well to the CNET mage. Based on the available evidence, it appears that Orion must also be using an electrochromic dimming technology. Per my prior estimate, this would put Orion’s best-case (CNET) transparency in the range of 60-70%

What I don’t know is why CNET was so much more transparent than the others, even when they appear to be in similar lighting. My best guess is that the dimming feature was adjusted differently or disabled for the CNET video.

Why is Orion Using Electronic Dimming Indoors?

All the Orion videos I have seen indicate that Orion is adding electrochromic dimming when indoors. Even bright indoor lighting is much less bright than sunlight. Unlike Snap Spectacles 5 (with electronic dimming) demos, Meta didn’t demo the unit outdoors. There can be several reasons, including:

• The most obvious reason is the lack of display brightness.
• For colors to “pop,” they need to be at least 8x brighter than the surroundings. Bright white objects in a well-lit room could be more than 50 nits. Maybe they couldn’t or didn’t want to go that bright for power/heat reasons.
• Reduced heat of the MicroLEDs
• Saves on battery life

Thinking about this issue made me notice that the walls in the demo room are painted a fairly dark color. Maybe it was a designer’s decision, but it also goes to my saying, “Demos is a Magic Show,” and that darker walls would make the AR display look better.

When this is added up, it suggests that the displays in the demos were likely outputting about 200 nits (just an educated guess). While ~200 nits would be a bright computer monitor, colors would be washed out in a well-lit room when viewed against a non-black background (monitors “bring their own black background”). Simply based on how they demoed it, I suspect that Snap Spectacles 5 is four to eight times brighter than Orion with the dimming used to work outdoors (rather than indoors).

Conclusion and Comments

When I first watched Bosworth’s video, his argument that the eye glow could only be seen from one angle seemed persuasive. But then I went back to check and could easily see that what he stated was provably false. I’m left to speculate as to why he brought up the eye glow issue (as it was not the original question) and proceeded to give erroneous information. It did motivate me to understand Orion better😁.

Based on what I saw in the CNET picture and what is a reasonable assumption for the waveguide, non-polarizing dimmer, and other optics (with transparency being multiplicative and not additive), it pegs Orion in the 60% transparency range plus or minus about 5%.

Bosworth’s answer on transparency was evasive, saying there was no “tint,” which was a non-answer. He mentioned electrochromic dimming but didn’t say for sure that Orion was using it. In the end, he said Orion was closer to prescription glasses (which are about 90% uncoated, 99.5% with anti-reflective coatings) than sunglasses at 17%. If we take uncoated glasses at 90% and sunglasses at 17%, then the midpoint between them would be 53% so that Orion may be, at best, slightly closer to uncoated eyeglasses than sunglasses. There are waveguide-based AR glasses that are more transparent (but without dimming) than Orion.

Bosworth gave more of an off-the-cuff AMA and not a formal presentation for a broad audience, and some level of generalization and goofs are to be expected. While he danced around the transparency issue a bit, it was the “glow” statement and its specificity that I have more of an issue with.

Even though Bosworth is the CTO and head of Meta’s Reality Labs, his background is in software, not optics so that he may have been ill-informed rather than deliberately misleading. I generally find him likable in the videos, and he shares a lot of information (while I have met many people from Meta’s Reality Labs, I have not met Bosworth). At the same time, it sounds to my ear that when he discusses optics, he is parroting things things he has been told, sometimes without fully understanding what he is saying. This is in sharp contrast to, say, Hololen’s former leader, Alex Kipman, who I believe out and out lied repeatedly.

Working on this article caused me to reexamine what Snap Spectacles was using for dimming. In my earlier look at AlphaMicron, I missed that AlphaMicron’s “e-Tint®” was a Guest Host dimming technology rather than a polarization-based one.

From the start, I was pretty sure Orion was using electrochromic dimming, but I was not sure whether it was polarization or non-polarization-based. In working through this article, I’m now reasonably certain it is a non-polarization-based dimming technology.

Working through this article, I realized that the available evidence also suggests that Orion’s display is not very bright. I would guess less than 200 nits, or at least they didn’t want to drive it brighter than that for very long.

Appendix: Determining the light blocking from videos is tricky

Human vision has a huge dynamic range and automatically adjusts as light varies. As Bosworth stated, typical sunglasses are less than 75% transmissive. Human perception of brightness is somewhat binary logarithmic. If there is plenty of available light, most people will barely notice a 50% dimming.

When wearing AR glasses, a large percentage (for some AR headsets, nearly all) of the light needed to view the eye will pass through the AR lens optics twice (in and back out). Because light blocking in series is multiplicative, this can cause the eyes to look much darker than what the person perceives when looking through them.

I set up a simple test using Wave Optic’s waveguide, which is ~85% transmissive, circular polarizing glasses (for 3-D movies) that was 33% tranmissive, and a Magic Leap One waveguide (out of the frame) that was 70% transmissive. In the upper right, I have shown a few examples of where I had a piece of white paper far enough away from the lens that the lens did not affect the illumination of the paper. On the lower right, I moved the paper up against the lens so the paper was primarily illuminated via the lens to demonstrate the light-blocking squared effect.

Orion’s Silicon Carbide (SiC) is not significantly more transparent than glass. Most of the light blocking in a diffraction waveguide comes from the diffraction grating, optical coatings, and number of layers. Considering that Orion’s “hero prototype” with $5B in R&D expenses for only 1,000 units, it is probably more transparent by about 5%.

When looking at open glasses like Orion (unlike, say, Magic Leap or Hololens), the lenses block only part of the eye’s illumination, so you get something less than the square law effect. So, in judging the amount of light blocking, you also have to estimate how much light is getting around the lenses and frames.

Introduction

On October 17th, 2024, Jason McDowell (The AR Show), Jeri Ellsworth (Tilt Five), David Bonelli (Pulsar), Bradley Lynch (SadlyItsBradley), and I recorded a 2-hour roundtable discussion about the recent announcements of the Snap Spectacles 5 and Meta Orion optical AR/MR glasses. Along the way, we discussed various related subjects, including some about the Apple Vision Pro.

I’m breaking the video into several parts to keep some discussions from being buried in a single long video. In this first part, we primarily discuss the Snap Spectacles 5 (SS5). The SS5 will be discussed some more in the other parts, which will be released later. We also made some comments on the Apple Vision Pro, which Bradley Lynch and I own.

The 2-hour roundtable is being released in several parts, with AR Roundtable Part 1 Snap Spectacles 5 and some Apple Vision Pro being the first to be released.

0:00 Introduction of the panelist

Jason McDowall, as moderator, gets things going by having each panelist introduce themself.

2:11 See-Through versus Passthrough Mixed Reality

I gave a very brief explanation of the difference between see-through/optical AR/MR and passthrough MR. The big point is that with See-through/Optical AR/MR, the real world’s view is most important, and with passthrough MR, the virtual world is more important. With passthrough MR, the virtual world is most important with the camera’s view augmenting the virtual world.

5:51 Snap Spectacles 5 (SS5) experience and discussion

Jason McDowell had the opportunity to get a demo of the Snap Spectacles 5 and followed by a discussion by the panelist. Jason has a more detailed explanation of his experience and an interview with Sophia Dominguez, the Director of AR Platform Partnerships and Ecosystem at Snap, on his podcast.

11:59 Dimming (light blocking) with optical AR glasses

Jason noted the dimming feature of the SS5, and this led to the discussion of the need for light blocking with see-through AR.

19:15 See-though AR is not well suited for watching movies and TV

I make the point that see-through AR is not going to be a good device for watching movies and TV.

19:54 What is the application?

We get into a discussion of the applications for see-through AR

20:23 Snap’s motivation? And more on applications

There is some discussion about what is driving Snap to make Spectacles, followed by more discussion of applications.

22:35 What are Snap’s and Meta’s motivations?

The panelist gives their opinions on what is motivating Snap and Meta to enter into the see-through AR space.

23:31 What makes something “portable?”

David makes the point that if AR glasses are not all-day wearable, then they are not very portable. When you take them off, you have fragile things to protect in a case that is a lot bigger and bulkier than a smartphone you can shove in your pocket.

24:13 Wearable AI (Humane AT and Rabbit)

Many companies are working on “AI wearable” devices. We know many companies are looking to combine a small FOV display (typically 25-35 degrees) with audio “AI” glasses.

24:40 Reviewers/Media Chasing the Shiney Object (Apple Vision Pro and Meta Orion)

25:45 Need for a “$99 Google Glass”

Jeri liked Google Glass and thinks there is a place for a “$99 Google Glass”-like product in the market. David adds some information about the economics of ramping up production of the semi-custom display that Google Glass uses. I (Karl) then discuss some of the ecosystem issues of making a volume product.

27:28 Apple Vision Pro discussion

Brad Lynch uses his Apple Vision Pro daily and has even replaced his monitor with the AVP. He regularly uses the “Personas” (Avatars) when talking with co-workers and others in the VR community. But now refrains from using the Personas when talking with others “out of respect.” I have only used it very occasionally since doing my initial evaluation for this blog.

29:10 Mixed Reality while driving (is a bad idea)

Jeri brings up the “influencers” that bought (and likely returned in the two-week return window) and Apple Vision Pro may a viral YouTube video driving around in a Cyber Truck. We then discuss how driving around this was is dangerous.

Next Video – Meta Orion

In the next video in this series, we discuss Meta Orion.

Update (Oct. 19th, 2024)

While the general premise of this article is that Meta Orion is using similar waveguide technology to Snap (Wave Optics) and that Magic Leap 2 is correct, it turns out that a number of assumptions about the specifics of what the various companies actually used in their products were incorrect. One of my readers (who wishes to remain anonymous) with deep knowledge of waveguides responded to my request for more information on the various waveguides. This person had both a theoretical knowledge of waveguides and what Meta Orion, Wave Optics (now Snap), Magic Leap Two, and Hololen 2 used.

My main error about the nature of waveguide “grating” structures was a bias toward linear gratings, with which I was more familiar. I overlooked the possibility that Wave Optics was using a set of “pillar” gratings that act like a 2D set of linear gratings.

A summary of the corrections:

1. Hololens 2 had a two-sided waveguide. The left and right expansion gratings are on opposite sides of the waveguide.
2. Prior Wave Optics (Snap) waveguides use a pillar-type 2-D diffraction grating on one side. There is a single waveguide for full color. The new Snap Spectacles 5 is likely (not 100% sure) using linear diffraction gratings on both sides of a single waveguide full color, as shown in this article.
3. Magic Leap Two uses linear diffraction gratings on both sides of the waveguide. It does use three waveguides.

The above corrections indicate that Meta Orion, Snap Spectacles 5 (Wave Optics), and Magic Leap all have overlapping linear gratings on both sides. Meta Orion and Snap likely use a single waveguide for full color, whereas the Magic Leap 2 has separate waveguides for the three primary colors.

I’m working on an article that will go into more detail and should appear soon, but I wanted to get this update out quickly.

Introduction and Background

After my last article, Meta Orion AR Glasses (Pt. 1 Waveguides), I got to thinking that the only other diffractive grating waveguide I have seen with a 2-D (X-Y) expansion and exit gratings, used in Meta’s Orion, was from Wave Optics (purchased by Snap in May 2021)

The unique look of Wave Optics waveguides is how I easily identified that Snap was using them before it was announced that Snap had bought Wave Optics in 2021 (see Exclusive: Snap Spectacles Appears to Be Using WaveOptics and [an LCOS] a DLP Display).

I then wondered what Magic Leap Two (ML2) did to achieve its 70-degree FOV and uncovered some more interesting information about Meta’s Orion. The more I researched ML2, the more similarities I found with Meta’s Orion. What started as a short observation that Meta Orion’s waveguide appears to share commonality with Snap (Wave Optics) waveguides ballooned up when I discovered/rediscovered the ML2 information.

Included in this article is some “background” information from prior articles to help compare and contrast what has been done before with what Meta’s Orion, Snap/Wave Optics, and Magie Leap Two are doing.

Diffractive Waveguide Background

I hadn’t looked at in any detail how Wave Optics diffraction gratings worked differently before. All other diffraction (I don’t know about holographic) grating waveguides I had seen before used three (or four) separate gratings on the same surface of the glass. There was an Entrance Grating, a first expansion and turning grating, and then a second expansion and exit grating. The location and whether the first expansion grating was horizontal or vertical varied with different waveguides.

Hololens 2 had a variation with left and right horizontal expansion and turning gratings and a single exit grating to increase the field of view. Still, all the gratings were on the same side of the waveguide.

Diffraction gratings bend light based on wavelength, similar to a prism. But unlike a prism, a grating will bend the light in a series of “orders.” With a diffractive waveguide, only the light from one of these orders is used, and the rest of the light is not only wasted but can cause problems, including “eye glow” and reduce the contrast of the overall system

Because diffraction is wavelength-based, it bends different colors/wavelengths in different amounts. This causes issues when sending more than one color through a single waveguide/diffraction grating. These problems are compounded as the size of the exit grating and FOV increases. Several diffraction waveguide companies have one (full color), or two (red+blue and blue+green) waveguides for smaller FOVs and then use three waveguides for wider FOVs.

For more information, Quick Background on Diffraction Waveguides, MicroLEDs and Waveguides: Millions of Nits-In to Thousands of Nits-Out with Waveguides, and Magic Leap, HoloLens, and Lumus Resolution “Shootout” (ML1 review part 3).

Meta Orion’s and Wave Optics Waveguides

I want to start with a quick summary of Orion’s waveguide, as the information and figures will be helpful in comparing it to that of Wave Optics (owned by Snap and in Snap’s Spectacles AR Glasses) and the ML2.

Summary of Orion’s waveguide from the last article

Orion’s waveguide appears to be using a waveguide substrate with one entrance grating per primary color and then two expansion and exit/output gratings. The two (crossed) output gratings are on opposite sides of the Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrate, whereas most diffractive waveguides use glass, and all the gratings are on one side.

Another interesting feature shown in the patents and discussed by Meta CTO Bosworth in some of his video interviews about Orion is “Disparity Correction,” which has an extra grating used by other optics and circuitry to detect if the waveguides are misaligned. This feature is not supported in Orion, but Bosworth says it will be included in future iterations that will move the input grating to the “eye side” of the waveguide. As shown in the figure below, and apparently in Orion, light enters the waveguide from the opposite side of the eyes. Since the projectors are on the eye side (in the temples), they require some extra optics, which, according to Bosworth, make the Orion frames thicker.

Wave Optics (Snap) Dual-Sided 2D Expanding Waveguide

Wave Optics US patent application 2018/0210205 is based on the first Wave Optics patent from the international application WO/2016/020643, first filed in 2014. FIG 3 (below) shows a 3-D representation of diffraction grating with an input grating (H0) and cross gratings (H1 and H2) on opposite sides of a single waveguide substrate.

The patent also shows that the cross gratings (H1 and H2) are on opposite sides of a single waveguide (FIG. 15B above) or one side of two waveguides (FIG. 15A above). I don’t know if Wave Optics (Snap) uses single- or double-sided waveguides in its current designs, but I would suspect it is double-sided.

While on the subject of Wave Optics waveguide design, I happen to have a picture of a Wave Optics 300mm glass wafer with 24 waveguides (right). I took the picture in the Schott booth at AR/VR/MR 2020. In the inset, I added Meta’s picture of the Orion 100mm SiC wafer, roughly to scale, with just four waveguides.

By the way, in my May 2021 article Exclusive: Snap Spectacles Appears to Be Using WaveOptics and [an LCOS] a DLP Display, I assumed that Spectacles would be using LCOS in 2021 since WaveOptics was in the process of moving to LCOS when they were acquired. I was a bit premature, as it took until 2024 for Spectacles to use LCOS.

In my hurry in putting together information and digging for connection, it was looking to me that WaveOptics would be using an LCOS microdisplay. As I pointed out, WaveOptics had been moving away from DLP to LCOS with their newer designs. Subsequent information suggests that WaveOptics was still using their much older DLP design. It is still likely that future versions will use LCOS, but the current version apparently does not.

Magic Leap

Magic Leap One (ML1) “Typical” Three Grating Waveguide

This blog’s first significant article about Magic Leap was in November 2016 (Magic Leap: “A Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma”). Since then, Magic Leap has been discussed in about 90 articles. Most other waveguide companies coaxially input all colors from a single projector. However, even though the ML1 had a single field sequential color LCOS device and projector, the LED illumination sources are spatially arranged so that the image from each color output is sent to a separate input grating. ML1 had six waveguides, three for each of the two focus planes, resulting in 6 LEDs (two sets of R, G, & B) and six entrance gratings (see: Magic Leap House of Cards – FSD, Waveguides, and Focus Planes).

Below is a diagram that iFixit developed jointly with this blog. It shows a side view of the ML1 optical path. The inset picture in the lower right shows the six entrance gratings of the six stacked waveguides.

Below left is a picture of the (stack of six) ML1 waveguides showing the six entrance gratings, the large expansion and turning gratings, and the exit gratings. Other than having spatially separate entrance gratings, the general design of the waveguides is the same as most other diffractive gratings, including the Hololens 1 shown in the introduction. The expansion gratings are mostly hidden in the ML1’s upper body (below right). The large expansion and turning grating can be seen as a major problem in fitting a “typical” diffractive waveguide into an eyeglass form factor, which is what drove Meta to find an alternative that goes beyond the ML1’s 50-degree FOV.

Figure 18 from US application 2018/0052276 diagrams the ML1’s construction. This diagram is very close to the ML1’s construction down to the shape of the waveguide and even the various diffraction grating shapes.

Magic Leap Two (ML2)

The ML1 failed so badly that very few were interested in the ML2 compared to the ML1. There is much less public information about the second-generation device, and I didn’t buy an ML2 for testing. I have covered many of the technical aspects of ML2, but I haven’t studied the waveguide before. With the ML2 having a 70-degree FOV compared to the ML1’s 50-degree FOV, I became curious about how they got it to fit.

To start with, the ML2 eliminated the ML1’s support for two focus planes. This cut the waveguides in half and meant that the exit grating of the waveguide didn’t need to change the focus of the virtual image (for more on this subject, see: Single Waveguide Set with Front and Back “Lens Assemblies”).

Looking through the Magic Leap patent applications, I turned up US 2018/0052276 to Magic Leap, which shows a 2-D combined exit grating. US 2018/0052276 is what is commonly referred to in the patent field as an “omnibus patent application,” which combines a massive number of concepts (the application has 272 pages) in a single application. The application starts with concepts in the ML1 (including the just prior FIG 18) and goes on to concepts in the ML2.

This application, loosely speaking, shows how to take the Wave Optics concept of two crossed diffraction gratings on different sides of a waveguide and integrate them onto the same side of the waveguide.

Magic Leap patent application 2020/0158942 describes in detail how the two crossed output gratings are made. It shows the “prior art” (Wave Optics and Meta Orion-like) method of two gratings on opposite sides of a waveguide in FIG. 1 (below). The application then shows how the two crossed gratings can be integrated into a single grating structure. The patent even includes scanning electron microscope photos of the structures Magic Leap had made (ex., FIG 5), which demonstrates that Magic Leap had gone far beyond the concept stage by the time of the application’s filing in Nov. 2018.

I then went back to pictures I took of Magic Leap’s 2022 AR/VR/MR conference presentation (see also Magic Leap 2 at SPIE AR/VR/MR 2022) on the ML2. I realized that the concept of a 2D OPE+EPE (crossed diffraction gratings) was hiding in plain sight as part of another figure, thus confirming that ML2 was using the concept. The main topic of this figure is “Online display calibration,” which appears to be the same concept as Orion’s “disparity correction” shown earlier.

The next issue is whether the ML2 used a single input grating for all colors and whether it used more than one waveguide. It turns out that these are both answered in another figure from Magic Leap’s 2022 AR/VR/MR presentation shown below. Magic Leap developed a very compact projector engine that illuminates and LCOS panel through the (clear) part of the waveguides. Like the ML1, the red, green, and blue illumination LEDs are spatially separated, which, in turn, causes the light out of the projector lens to be spatially separated. There are then three spatially separate input gratings on three waveguides, as shown.

Based on the ML2’s three waveguides, I assumed it was too difficult or impossible to support the “crossed” diffraction grating effect while supporting full color in a single wide FOV waveguide.

Summary: Orion, ML2, & Wave Optics Waveguide Concepts

Orion, ML2, and Wave Optics have some form of two-dimensional pupil expansion using overlapping diffraction gratings. By overlapping gratings, they reduce the size of the waveguide considerably over the more conventional approach, with three diffraction gratings spatially separate on a single surface.

To summarize:

• Meta Orion – “Crossed” diffraction gratings on both sides of a single SiC waveguide for full color.
• Snap/Wave Optics – “Crossed” diffraction gratings on both sides of a single glass waveguide for full color. Alternatively, “crossed” diffraction waveguides on two glass waveguides for full color (I just put a request into Snap to try and clarify).
• Magic Leap Two – A single diffraction grating that acts like a crossed diffraction grating on high index (~2.0) glass with three waveguides (one per primary color).

The above is based on the currently available public information. If you have additional information or analysis, please share it in the comments, or if you don’t want to share it publicly, you can send a private email to newsinfo@kgontech.com. To be clear, I don’t want stolen information or any violation of NDAs, but I am sure there are waveguide experts who know more about this subject.

What about Meta Orion’s Image Quality?

I have not had the opportunity to look through Meta’s Orion or Snap Spectacles 5 and have only seen ML2 in a canned demo. Unfortunately, I was not invited to demo Meta’s Orion, no less have access to one for evaluation (if you can help me gain (legal) access, contact me at newsinfo@kgontech.com).

I have tried the ML2 a few times. However, I have never had the opportunity to take pictures through the optics or use my test patterns. From my limited experience with the ML2, it is much better in terms of image quality than the ML1 (which was abysmal – see Magic Leap Review Part 1 – The Terrible View Through Diffraction Gratings), it still has significant issues with color uniformity like other wide (>40-degree) FOV diffractive waveguides. If someone has a ML2 that I can borrow for evaluation, please get in touch with me at newsinfo@kgontech.com.

I have been following Wave Optics (now Snap) for many years and have a 2020-era Titan DLP-based 40-degree FOV Wave Optics evaluation unit (through the optics picture below). Wave Optics Titan, I would consider a “middle of the pack” (I had seen better and worse) diffractive waveguide at that time. I have seen what seem to be better diffractive waveguides before and since, but it is hard to compare them objectively as they have different FOVs, and I was not able to use my content but rather curated demo content. Wave Optics seemed to be showing better waveguides at shows before being acquired by Snap 2021, but once again, that was with their demo content with short views at shows. I am working on getting a Spectacles 5 to do a more in-depth evaluation and see how it has improved.

Without the ability to test, compare, and contrast, I can only speculate about Meta Orion’s image quality based on my experience with diffractive waveguides. The higher index of refraction of SiC helps as there are fewer TIR bounces, which degrades image quality, but it is far from a volume production-ready technology. I’m concerned about image uniformity with a large FOV and even more so with a single set of diffraction gratings as diffraction is based on wavelength (color).

Lumus Reflective Waveguide Rumors

In Meta Orion AR Glasses: The first DEEP DIVE into the optical architecture, it stated:

There were rumors before that Meta would launch new glasses with a 2D reflective (array) waveguide optical solution and LCoS optical engine in 2024-2025. With the announcement of Orion, I personally think this possibility has not disappeared and still exists.

The “reflective waveguide” would most likely be a reference to Lumus’s reflective waveguides. I have seen a few “Lumus clone” reflective waveguides from Chinese companies, but their image quality is very poor compared to Lumus. In the comment section of my last article, Ding, on October 8, 2024, wrote:

There’s indeed rumor that Meta is planning an actual product in 2025 based on LCOS and Lumus waveguide. 

Lumus has demonstrated impressive image quality in a glasses-like form factor (see my 2021 article: Exclusive: Lumus Maximus 2K x 2K Per Eye, >3000 Nits, 50° FOV with Through-the-Optics Pictures). Since the 2021 Maximus, they have been shrinking the form factor and improving support for prescription lens integration with their new “Z-lens” technology. Lumus claims its Z-Lens technology should be able to support greater than a 70-degree FoV in glass. Lumus also says because their waveguides support a larger input pupil, they should have a 5x to 10x efficiency advantage.

The market question about Lumus is whether they can make their waveguide cost-effectively in mass production. In the past, I have asked their manufacturing partner, Schott, who says they can make it, but I have yet to see a consumer product around the Z-Lens. It would be interesting to see if a company like Meta had put the kind of money they invested into complex Silicon Carbide waveguides into reflective waveguides.

While diffractive waveguides are not inexpensive, they are considered less expensive at present (except, of course, for Meta Orion’s SiC waveguides). Perhaps an attractive proposition to researchers and propriety companies is that diffraction waveguides can be customized more easily (at least on glass).

Not Addressing Who Invented What First

I want to be clear: this article does not in any way make assertions about who invented what first or whether anyone is infringing on anyone else’s invention. Making that determination would require a massive amount of work, lawyers, and the courts. The reason I cite patents and patent applications is that they are public records that are easily searched and often document technical details that are missing from published presentations and articles.

Conclusions

There seems to be a surprising amount of commonality between Meta’s Orion, the Snap/Wave Optics, and the Magic Leap Two waveguides. They all avoided the “conventional” three diffraction gratings on one side of a waveguide to support a wider FOV in an eyeglass form factor. Rediscovering that the ML2 supported “dispersion correction,” as Meta refers to it, was a bit of a bonus.

As I wrote last time, Meta’s Orion seems like a strange mix of technology to make a big deal about at Meta Connect. They combined a ridiculously expensive waveguide with a very low-resolution display. The two-sided diffraction grating Silicon Carbide waveguides seem to be more than a decade away from practical volume production. It’s not clear to me that even if they could be made cost-effective, they would have as good a view out and the image quality of reflective waveguides, particularly at wider FOVs.

Meta could have put together a headset with technology that was within three years of being ready for production. As it is, it seemed like more of a stunt in response to the Apple Vision Pro. In that regard, the stunt seems to have worked in the sense that some reviewers were reminded of seeing the real world directly with optical AR/MR beats, looking at it through camera and display.

Introduction

While Meta’s announced Orion prototype AR Glasses at Meta Connect made big news, there were few technical details beyond it having a 70-degree field of view (FOV) and using Silicon Carbide waveguides. While they demoed to the more general technical press and “influencers,” they didn’t seem to invite the more AR and VR-centric people who might be more analytical. Via some Meta patents, a Reddit post, and studying videos and articles, I was able to tease out some information.

This first article will concentrate on Orion’s Silicon Carbide diffractive waveguide. I have a lot of other thoughts on the mismatch of features and human factors that I will discuss in upcoming articles.

Wild Enthusiasm Stage and Lack of Technical Reviews

In the words of Yogi Berra, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” We went through this with the Apple Vision Pro, which went from being the second coming of the smartphone to almost disappearing earlier this year. This time, a more limited group of media people has been given access. There is virtually no critical analysis of the display’s image quality or the effect on the real world. I may be skeptical, but I have seen dozens of different diffractive waveguide designs, and there must be some issues, yet nothing has been reported. I expect there are problems with color uniformity and diffraction artifacts, but nothing was mentioned in any article or video. Heck, I have yet to see anyone mention the obvious eye glow problem (more on this in a bit).

The Vergecast podcast video discusses some of the utility issues and their related video, Exclusive: We tried Meta’s AR glasses with Mark Zuckerberg, which gives some more information about the experience. Thankfully, unlike Meta or any other (simulated) through-the-optics videos, The Verge clearly marked the videos as “Simulated” (screen capture on the right).

As far as I can tell, there are no true “through-the-optics” videos or pictures (likely at Meta’s request). All the images and videos I found that may look like they could have been taken through the optics have been “simulated.”

Another informative video was by Norm Chan of Adam Savages Tested, particularly in the last two-thirds of the video after his interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth. Norm discussed that the demo was “on rails” with limited demos in a controlled room environment. I’m going to quote Bosworth a few times in this article because he added information; while he may have been giving some level of marketing spin, he seems to be generally truthful, unlike former Hololens 2 leader Alex Kipman, who was repeatedly dishonest in his Hololens 2 presentation (which I documented in several articles including Hololens 2 and why the resolution math fails, and Alex Kipman Fibbing about the field of view, Alex Kipman’s problems at Microsoft with references to other places where Kipman was “fibbing,” and Hololens 2 Display Evaluation (Part 2: Comparison to Hololens 1) or input “Kipman” on this blog’s search feature)

I’m not against companies making technology demos in general. However, making a big deal about a “prototype” and not a “product” at Meta Connect rather than at a technical conference like Siggraph indicates AR’s importance to Meta. It invites comparisons to the Apple Vision Pro, which Meta probably intended.

It is a little disappointing that they also only share the demos with selected “invited media” that, for the most part, lack deep expertise in display technology and are easily manipulated by a “good” demo (see Appendix: “Escape from a Lab” and “Demos Are a Magic Show”). They will naturally tend to pull punches to keep access to new product announcements from Meta and other major companies. As a result, there is no information about the image quality of the virtual display or any reported issues looking through the waveguides (which there must be).

Eye Glow

I’ve watched hours of videos and read multiple articles, and I have yet to hear anyone mention the obvious issue of “eye glow” (front projection). They will talk about the social acceptance of them looking like glasses and being able to see the person’s eyes, but then they won’t mention the glaring problem of the person’s eyes glowing. It stuck out to me because they didn’t mention the eye glow issue, evident in all the videos and many photos.

Eye glow is an issue that diffractive waveguide designers have been trying to reduce/eliminate for years. Then there are Lumus reflective waveguides with inherently little eye glow. Vuzix, Digilens, and Dispelix make big points about how they have reduced the problem with diffractive waveguides (see Front Projection (“Eye Glow”) and Pantoscoptic Tilt to Eliminate “Eye Glow”). However, these diffractive waveguide designs with greatly reduced eye glow issues have relatively small (25-35 degree) FOVs. The Orion design supports a very wide 70-degree FOV while trying to make it fit the size of a “typical” (if bulky) glasses frame; I suspect that the design methods to meet the size and FOV requirements meant that the issue of “eye glow” could not be addressed.

Light Transmission (Dimming?)

The transmissivity seems to vary in the many images and videos of people wearing Orions. It’s hard to tell, but it seems to change. On the right, two frames switch back and forth, and the glasses darken as the person puts them on (from video Orion AR Glasses: Apple’s Last Days)

Because I’m judging from videos and pictures with uncontrolled lighting, it’s impossible to know the transmissivity, but I can compare it to other AR glasses. Below are the highly transmissive Lumus Maximus glasses with greater than 80% transmissivity and the Hololens 2 with ~40% compared to the two dimming levels of the Orion glasses.

Below is a still frame from a Meta video showing some of the individual parts of the Orion glasses. They appear to show unusually dark cover glass, a dimming shutter (possibly liquid crystal) with a drive circuit attached, and a stack of flat optics with the waveguide with electronics connected to it. In his video, Norm Chen stated, “My understanding is the frontmost layer can be like a polarized layer.” This seems consistent with what appears to be the cover “glass” (which could be plastic), which looks so dark compared to the dimming shutter (LC is nearly transparent as it only changes the polarization of light).

If it does use a polarization-based dimming structure, this will cause problems when viewing polarization-based displays (such as LCD-based computer monitors and smartphones).

Orion’s Unusual Diffractive Waveguides

Axel Wong‘s analysis of Meta Orion’s Waveguide, which was translated and published on Reddit as Meta Orion AR Glasses: The first DEEP DIVE into the optical architecture, served as a starting point for my study of the Meta Orions optics, and I largely agree with his findings. Based on the figures he showed, his analysis was based on Meta Platforms’ (a patent holding company of Meta) US patent application 2024/0179284. Three figures from that application are shown below.

[10-08-2024 – Corrected the order of the Red, Green, and Blue inputs in Fig 10 below]

Overlapping Diffraction Gratings

It appears that Orion uses waveguides with diffraction gratings on both sides of the substrate (see FIG. 12A above). In Figure 10, the first and second “output gratings” overlap, which suggests that these gratings are on different surfaces. Based on FIGs 12A and 7C above, the gratings are on opposite sides of the same substrate. I have not seen this before with other waveguides and suspect it is a complicated/expensive process.

As Alex Wong pointed out in his analysis, supporting such a wide FOV in a glass form factor necessitated that the two large gratings overlap. Below (upper-left) is shown the Hololens 1 waveguide, typical of most other diffractive waveguides. It consists of a small input grating, a (often) trapezoidal-shaped expansion grating, and a more rectangular second expansion and output/exit grating. In the Orion (upper right), the two larger gratings effectively overlap so that the waveguide fits in the eyeglasses form factor. I have roughly positioned the Hololens 1 and Orion waveguides at the same vertical location relative to the eye.

Also shown in the figure above (lower left) is Orion’s waveguide wafer, which I used to generate the outlines of the gratings, and a picture (lower right) showing the two diffraction gratings in the eye glow from Orion.

It should be noted that while the Hololens 1 has only about half the FOV of the Orion, the size of the exit gratings is similar. The size of the Hololens 1 exit grating is due to the Hololen 1 having enough eye relief to support most wearing glasses. The farther away the eye is from the grating, the bigger the grating needs to be for a given FOV.

Light Entering From the “wrong side” of the waveguide

The patent application figures 12A and 7C are curious because the projector is on the opposite side of the waveguide from the eye/output. This would suggest that the projectors are outside the glasses rather than hidden in the temples on the same side of the waveguide as the eye.

Meta’s Bosworth in The WILDEST Tech I’ve Ever Tried – Meta Orion at 9:55 stated, “And so, this stack right here [pointing to the corner of the glasses of the clear plastic prototype] gets much thinner, actually, about half as thick. ‘Cause the protector comes in from the back at that point.”

Based on Bosworth’s statement, some optics route the light from the projectors in the temples to the front of the waveguides, necessitating thicker frames. Bosworth said that the next generation’s waveguides will accept light from the rear side of the waveguide. I assume that making the waveguides work this way is more difficult, or they would have already done it rather than having thicker frames on Orion.

However, Bosworth said, “There’s no bubbles. Like you throw this thing in a fish tank, you’re not gonna see anything.” This implies that everything is densely packed into the glasses, so other than saving the volume of the extra optics, there may not be a major size reduction possible. (Bosworth referenced Steve Jobs Dropping an iPod prototype in water story to prove that it could be made smaller due to the air bubbles that escaped)

Disparity Correction (Shown in Patent Application but not in Orion)

Meta’s application 2024/0179284, while showing many other details of the waveguide, is directed to “disparity correction.” Bosworth discusses in several interviews (including here) that Orion does not have disparity correction but that they intend to put it in future designs. As Bosworth describes it, the disparity correction is intended to correct for any flexing of the frames (or other alignment issues) that would cause the waveguides (and their images relative to the eyes) to move. He seems to suggest that this would allow Meta to use frames that would be thinner and that might have some flex to them.

Half Circular Entrance Gratings

Wong, in the Reddit article, also noticed that small input/entrance gratings visible on the wafer looked to be cut-off circles and commented:

However, if the coupling grating is indeed half-moon shaped, the light spot output by the light engine is also likely to be this shape. I personally guess that this design is mainly to reduce a common problem with SRG at the coupling point, that is, the secondary diffraction of the coupled light by the coupling grating.

Before the light spot of the light engine embarks on the great journey of total reflection and then entering the human eye after entering the coupling grating, a considerable part of the light will unfortunately be diffracted directly out by hitting the coupling grating again. This part of the light will cause a great energy loss, and it is also possible to hit the glass surface of the screen and then return to the grating to form ghost images.

Single Waveguide for all three colors?

The patent application seems to suggest that there is a single (double-sided) waveguide for all three colors (red, green, and blue). Most larger FOV full-color diffractive AR glasses will stack three (red, green, and blue—Examples Hololens One and Magic Leap 1&2) or two waveguides (red+blue and blue+green—Example Hololens 2). Dispelix has single-layer, full-color diffractive waveguides that go up to 50 degrees FOV.

Diffraction gratings have a line spacing based on the wavelengths of light they are meant to diffract. Supporting full color with such a wide FOV in a single waveguide would typically cause issues with image quality, including light fall-off in some colors and contrast losses. Unfortunately, there are no “through the optics” pictures or even subjective evaluations by an independent expert as to the image quality of Orion.

Silicon Carbide Waveguide Substrate

The idea of using silicon carbide for Waveguides it not unique to Meta. Below is an image from GETTING THE BIG PICTURE IN AR/VR, which discusses the advantages of using high-index materials like Lithium Niobate and Silicon Carbide to make waveguides. It is well known that going to a higher index of refraction substrates supports wider FOVs, as shown in the figure below. The problem, as Bosworth points out, is that growing silicon carbide wafers are very expensive. The wafers are also much smaller, enabling fewer waveguides per wafer. From the pictures of Meta’s wafers, they only get four waveguides per wafer, whereas there can be a dozen or more diffractive waveguides made on larger and much less expensive glass wafers.

Bosworth says “Nearly Artifact Free” and with Low “Rainbow” capture

A common issue with diffractive waveguides is that the diffraction gratings will capture light in the real world and then spread it out by wavelength like a prism, which creates a rainbow-like effect.

In Adam Savage’s Tested interview (@~5:10), Bosworth said, “The waveguide itself is nano etched into silicon carbide, which is a novel material with a super high index of refraction, which allows us to minimize the Lost photons and minimize the number of photons we capture from the world, so it minimizes things like ghosting and Haze and rainbow all these artifacts while giving you that field of view that you want. Well it’s not artifact free, it’s very close to artifact-free.” I appreciate that while Bosworth tried to give the advantages of their waveguide technology, he immediately corrected himself when he had overstated his case (unlike Hololens’ Kipman as cited in the Introduction). I would feel even better if they let some independent experts study it and give their opinions.

What Bosworth says about rainbows and other diffractive artifacts may be true, but I would like to see it evaluated by independent experts. Norm said in the same video, “It was a very on-rails demo with many guard rails. They walked me through this very evenly diffused lit room, so no bright lights.” I appreciate that Norm recognized he was getting at least a bit of a “magic show” demo (see appendix).

Wild Enthusiasm Stage and Lack of Technical Reviews

In the words of Yogi Berra, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” We went through this with the Apple Vision Pro, which went from being the second coming of the smartphone to almost disappearing earlier this year. This time, a more limited group of media people has been given access. There is virtually no critical analysis of the display’s image quality or the effect on the real world. I may be skeptical, but I have seen dozens of different diffractive waveguide designs, and there must be some issues, yet nothing has been reported. I’m expecting there to be problems with color uniformity and diffraction artifacts, but nothing was mentioned.

Strange Mix of a Wide FOV and Low Resolution

There was also little to no discussion in the reviews of Orion’s very low angular resolution of only 13 pixels per degree (PPD) spread over a 70-degree FOV (a topic for my next article on Orion). This works to about a 720- by 540-pixel display resolution.

Several people reported seeing a 26PPD demo, but it was unclear if this was a form factor or a lab-bench demo. Even 26PPD is a fairly low angular resolution.

Optical versus Passthough AR – Orion vs Vision Pro

Meta’s Orion demonstration is a declaration that optical AR (e.g., Orion) and non-camera passthrough AR, such as Apple Vision Pro, are the long-term prize devices. It makes the point that no passthrough camera and display combination can come close to competing with the real-world view in terms of dynamic range, resolution, biocular stereo, and infinite numbers of focus depths.

As I have repeatedly pointed out in writing and presentations, optical AR prioritizes the view of the real world, while camera passthrough AR prioritizes the virtual image view. I think there is very little overlap in their applications. I can’t imagine anyone allowing someone out on a factor floor or onto the streets of a city in a future Apple Vision Pro type device, but one could imagine it with something like the Meta Orion. And I think this is the point that Meta wanted to make.

Conclusions

I understand that Meta was demonstrating, in a way, “If money was not an obstacle, what could we do?” I think they were too fixated on the very wide FOV issue. I am concerned that the diffractive Silicon Carbide waveguides are not the right solution in the near or long term. They certainly can’t have a volume/consumer product with a significant “eye glow” problem.

This is a subject I have discussed many times, including in Small FOV Optical AR Discussion with Thad Starner and FOV Obsession. They have the worst of all worlds in some ways, with a very large FOV and a relatively low-resolution display; they block most of the real world for a given amount of content. With the same money, I think they could have made a more impressive demo with exotic waveguide materials that didn’t seem so far off in the future. I intend to get more into the human factors and display utility in this series on Meta Orion.

Appendix: “Demos Are a Magic Show”

Seeing the way Meta introduced Orion and hearing of the crafted demos they gave reminded me of one of my earliest blog articles from 2012 call Cynics Guide to CES – Glossary of Terms which gave warning about seeing demos.

Escaped From the Lab

Orion seems to fit the definition of an “escape from the lab.” Quoting from the 2012 article:

“Escaped from the lab” – This is the demonstration of a product concept that is highly impractical for any of a number of reasons including cost, lifetime/reliability, size, unrealistic setting (for example requires a special room that few could afford), and dangerous without skilled supervision.  Sometimes demos “escape from the lab” because a company’s management has sunk a lot of money into a project and a public demo is an attempt to prove to management that the concepts will at least one day appeal to consumers.

I have used this phrase a few times over the years, including The Hololens 2 (Hololens 2 Video with Microvision “Easter Egg” Plus Some Hololens and Magic Leap Rumors), which was officially discontinued this month, although it has long since been seen as a failed product. I also commented (in Magic Leap Review Part 1 – The Terrible View Through Diffraction Gratings – see my Sept. 27, 2019 comment) that the Magic Leap One was “even more of a lab project.”

Why make such a big deal about Orion, a prototype with a strange mix of features and impractically expensive components? Someone(s) is trying to prove that the product concept was worth continued investment.

Magic Show

I also warned that demos are “a magic show.”

A Wizard of Oz (visual) – Carefully controlling the lighting, image size, viewing location and/or visual content in order to hide what would be obvious defects.   Sometimes you are seeing a “magic show” that has little relationship to real world use.

I went into further detail in this subject in my early coverages of the Hololens 2 in the section, “Demos are a Magic Show and why are there no other reports of problems?“:

I constantly try and remind people that “demos are a magic show.” Most people get wowed by the show or being one of the special people to try on a new device. Many in the media may be great at writing, but they are not experts on evaluating displays. The imperfections and problems go unnoticed in a well-crafted demo with someone that is not trained to “look behind the curtain.”

The demo content is often picked to best show off a device and avoid content that might show flaws. For example, content that is busy with lots of visual “noise” will hide problems like image uniformity and dead pixels. Usually, the toughest test patterns are the simplest, as one will immediately be able to tell if something is wrong. I typically like patterns with a mostly white screen to check for uniformity and a mostly black screen to check for contrast, with some details in the patterns to show resolution and some large spots to check for unwanted reflections. For example, see my test patterns, which are free to download. When trying on a headset that supports a web browser, I will navigate to my test pattern page and select one of the test patterns.

Most of the companies that are getting early devices will have a special relationship with the manufacturer. They have a vested interest in seeing that the product succeeds either for their internal program or because they hope to develop software for the device. They certainly won’t want to be seen as causing Microsoft problems. They tend to direct their negative opinions to the manufacturer, not public forums.

Only with independent testing by people with display experience using their own test content will we understand the image quality of the Hololens 2.