Tag: 2020

Varjo ’20/20′ VR headset to offer ‘human eye resolution’ bionic display

Comparison image (shot with a Sony RX100 IV) viewed through Varjo’s ‘bionic’ display (above) and an Oculus headset. Image courtesy Varjo

Poor display resolution is one of the hurdles VR needs to overcome if it’s going to gain traction with a larger audience. That’s why Finnish company Varjo is actively developing a virtual reality/augmented reality headset codenamed ’20/20,’ a moniker that refers to its ‘human eye resolution’ display. While the Oculus Rift offers approximately 1.2MP for each eye, Varjo aims to far exceed that resolution at 70MP, though with a twist: the ’20/20′ headset tracks which objects the wearer is looking at, rendering those objects at a very high resolution while objects in the wearer’s peripheral vision are lower resolution.

Varjo hasn’t gone into great detail about the technology behind its headset, though Engadget reports that it is using what the company calls a ‘bionic display’ alongside ‘foveated eye tracking,’ the combination of which makes its VR ’10 years ahead of the current state-of-the-art.’ The company claims to employ scientists who previously worked at Intel, Microsoft, and NVIDIA, among others.

The company goes on to claim that its ’20/20′ headset can also be used for augmented reality and mixed reality applications, though details on both are slight at this time. Likewise, information on Varjo’s launch plans are unclear, though the company states that pro-tier ‘Varjo-branded products’ will start shipping in the fourth quarter of this year. Varjo offers several photos comparing its display technology with that of existing VR headsets here.

Via: Engadget, Varjo

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

June 20, 2017
20:20 vision: Hands-on with Sigma’s 20mm F1.4 ‘Art’

Sigma has grown its ‘Art’ lineup of prime lenses again, with a new 20mm F1.4 for Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts. The new 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art is designed for full frame DSLRs, and Sigma claims that the 20mm F1.4 is the result of new production technologies including a 59mm double aspherical element. The new 20mm will go on sale from November priced at £849.99/$ 899.99, and we just got our hands on a sample at the Photo Plus Expo in New York. Click through for some first impressions

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 23, 2015
Junked Ship: Japan Ditches Hadid’s 2020 Olympic Stadium Design

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Scheduled to land like an otherworldly spacecraft in Tokyo, the curvaceous, controversial but competition-winning National Stadium designed for the 2020 Olympics by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) will be restarted from scratch.

The structure has been criticized for everything from its mounting construction costs to its design that arguably clashes with the surrounding historic portions of the city and violates local height limits. After years of growing issues and complaints, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe finally announced a change of course: “We have decided to go back to the start on the Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics stadium plan, and start over from zero. I have been listening to the voices of the people for about a month now, thinking about the possibility of a review.”

Intended to be a sports center to last a century, the price tag has repeatedly climbed beyond original estimates, recently reaching a reported $ 2,000,000,000, in part due to expensive materials but also the complex shape. A number of Japanese architects also weighed in, signing a petition to scrap the project – Hadid, meanwhile, as a London-based Iraqi architect, has contended that their criticism is based on the selection of a designer from outside of the country.

Whether the 80,000-seat stadium will now be designed by another firm or simply restarted by Zaha Hadid is unclear as yet, but 7 years after she won the competition for this concept one might hope they will give her another chance to cut costs or come up with an alternative. For now, her firm has officially defended the direction they took, claiming the icon is worth the cost and comparable to other world-class sporting arenas in major cities around the globe and that local labor costs are part of the problem: “We have used our experience on major sports and cultural projects, including the hugely successful London 2012 Games and legacy, to design a stadium that can be built cost-effectively and still deliver the flexible and robust National Stadium that the Japan Sports Council requires.” Perhaps the final design solution will more closely mimic the famously futuristic 2020 Neo-Tokyo Olympic Games as predicted and portrayed in the famous 1988 anime Akira.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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WebUrbanist

July 25, 2015
View Forward: Driverless London Train Cars Arriving in 2020

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

Called the New Tube, the next phase in London’s Underground system will feature partially and entirely automated cars, including ones that let passengers sit up front in the space heretofore reserved for drivers.

This forward-looking plan calls for 250 driverless trains for the Piccadilly, Central, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines, rolling out in the year 2020 and beyond, each with larger doors for faster entry and exit capabilities.

These new models will not be segmented in traditional cars but instead be continuous and segmented (able to be walked from front to back) and feature built-in wifi as well as passive air conditioning. The newly-freed front ends of these will feature emergency egress doors as well.

An LED lighting system will glow to show the speed and direction of travel and light up to let passengers know when doors are opening or closing as well. Digital displays will replace paper advertisements inside the cabins, too.

These sleek new machines are being made to operate 24 hours a day with a projected lifespan of 30 to 40 years so their technologies must, as much as it is possible, take into account existing issues as well as population growth and other future-proofing concerns.

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Transits Of Venus: 8 Women-Only Subway & Train Cars

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Future Shocks: 5 Incredible Concept Cars & Cool Prototypes

From two-and-three-wheeled concept cars to real-life transformers for land, sea and air, the idea of all-terrain vehicle is starting to take on new meaning …
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Subway Parasite: Stealth Projector Lights Up Train Tunnels

Here to lighten the mood a bit during the duller parts of your nighttime or subterranean transit is a quirky little projector that suctions to vehicular shells.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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WebUrbanist

October 13, 2014