VR/AR product shipments are forecast to grow 86% from 2020 to 2024 to exceed 76 million units, with microLED considered the key to optimizing display technology of metaverse applications, according to industry sources.
Metaverse is expected to bring about another technological revolution, while AR glasses provide portals to metaverse, said Jorjin Technologies chairman Tom Liang, who also chairs Taiwan Smart Glasses Industry Association (TSGIA).
Unlike TV and phone displays that are 2m to 0.5m away from users, AR/MR glasses and their users are only 1cm apart, allowing users to be fully immersed in computer-generated settings, he said.
AR smart glasses require mature technologies of displays, 5G communications, and light engine, he added.
In addition to mobile devices, smart sensors, interactivity between glasses and surroundings and between users and glasses, remote computing and analysis capabilities are also needed, he said.
The demand for AR devices will grow more rapidly than VR tools, Liang noted.
AR glasses are supported by near-eye display technologies such as liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), microOLED, microLED, MEMS laser scanning, but technological advancement takes time, he said.
Developing light engine technology is more challenging, while Japan's Epson and Sony have fared better in the area, he said.
Metaverse smart glasses will alter the ways of interpersonal exchanges, as users will be able to interact with one another remotely through the glasses within this decade, said Lin Chun-yen, president of Taipei University of Marine Technology.
The university's College of Innovation will build a trilateral partnership with TSGIA and Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association to develop AR and VR applications, he said.
Metaverse-related applications include AR glasses and portable devices for personal use, as well as projectors, LED displays, and flat panels for public display, said Eddie Huang, vice president of Epson visual technology division. The question is how to make more consumers accept the new applications and expedite their commercialization, he said.
Projectors are a good medium to integrate virtual and real-world environments, allowing spectators to have a taste of the virtual world, he said.
However, AR/VR devices with lightguide technology can involve considerable light losses, so they need high-brightness display technology in outdoor settings, sources in the LED industry said.
MicroLEDs feature small sizes and high-brightness illumination, and it is estimated they will be used in commercial applications related to metaverse in 2-3 years, they said.
Austria-based LED maker Ams Osram also regards microLED as one of its development priorities. It plans to spend about EUR$800 million (US$871 million) building another plant at its existing complex in Kulim, Malaysia, for LED and microLED production within two years.
Ams Osram has said that despite its reservation about expanding miniLED production, it is upbeat about microLED applications in 4-inch or smaller displays. It expects microLED technology to enter the terminal market in three years and to be applied in metaverse applications by 2025.
Article translated by Ines Lin