William,
As you know VRD relies on lasers. For full color VRD three lasers are required (red, blue, and green). These colors constitute the three primary colors of light (as opposed to the primary colors of pigment which are red, blue, and yellow).
Right now, blue lasers tend to be bulky and expensive. Laser diodes offer a chance to reduce the size and cost of blue lasers (as they have already done for red). Therefore, a necessary condition for truly portable color VRD is the development of blue laser diodes.
Note this does not mean that color VRD is not now feasible for other applications. For example, a pilot isn't going anywhere. He doesn't need a portable laser diode to be physically attached to his helmet. Red, blue, and green lasers can be mounted in the cockpit delivering their light to VRD's scanners via an optic fiber.
Many other applications, like medical ones, resemble this model where the light source does not have to be directly attached to the device in question. A strand of optical fiber will do. This will not work for incorporating VRD into cellular phones and the like. It is in applications like this that blue laser diodes will come in very handy. It would appear that these devices will be available about the right time for Microvision to begin commercializing color VRD for consumer purposes. Man, you've just got to love that.
I hope you find this explanation helpful.
Stephan |
