Augmented Laser Viewer

thingiverse

This particular frame requires only an Epson Moverio AR headset and a camera from an old laptop that supports UVC, plus two propel filter glasses and a laser viewer/protector ready to use. In this Laser Viewer + Augmented Reality design, normal optical filters-based laser protection glasses protect the wearer. A (semi) transparent micro display between the optical filter glasses and the eyes displays a camera image visualizing the laser. A camera outside the frame images the laser radiation unhindered, allowing visualization of even invisible wavelengths. It's also possible to combine the image reproduction system with the laser protection filter glasses using wave guides. Using control elements like touch pads or buttons on the body of the glasses allows controlling the device, adjusting image overlap, camera exposure, zoom, focus, and AR aspects. Controls can enable/disable images, switch between off, image pass through, AR, or image pass through + AR. Another way to control is by gestures, perceived by cameras', radar ICs, accelerometers, or other VR/AR field interface concepts. The AR aspect renders virtual laser paths as presumed in implementation that tracks the user's head position in the workplace. Advanced image processing from multiple cameras achieves a good automatic image overlap between the filter glasses and camera images. Improvements come from adding eye tracking capabilities for better perspective/image adjustments based on wearer gaze information. This implementation has limited protection, not better than classical protective eyewear. However, visualization of laser beams or invisible radiation improves the wearer's ability to work with lasers, especially when spatial awareness is key. Lab work, experimental setups, and medical operations benefit from this design. To make the device more cost-effective, optical filters can be replaced by users depending on their needs. Cameras should also be replaceable, as they may suffer damage from direct laser incidents. Customizable cameras offer greater spectral capabilities at various costs, making it useful for users to swap in the right type for their application.