1. It uses dual monochrome CRT screens, 512x492. pixel size is 5.9 arc min. (Remember, the nature of CRTs means that they scale resolutions up and down without being pixelated or blurry, unlike LCDs. Feeding a 640x480 image into this would look great).
2. Field of view is 50° x 37.5, which works out to about 70° diagonal (Our most common measure). This is with 100% overlap.
3. It uses two cameras, one in front of each eye, to create a full 3D view of the outside world. It also had video inputs to allow display of and video output capable device, and a third camera mounted above and between the two stereo cameras. This camera could be used for zooming in on specific things, and was also IR sensitive, giving the device excellent night vision capabilities.
4. It is the precursor to the JORDY HMD, and is in many way superior. In fact, in all ways except size and weight, the featureset blows the JORDY away. It still only weighs 33.6oz, however!
"JORDY was inspired by the Low Vision Enhancement System (LVES), a video headset developed through a joint research project between NASA’s Stennis Space Center, Johns Hopkins University, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Worn like a pair of goggles, LVES contained two eye-level cameras, one with an unmagnified wide-angle view and one with magnification capabilities. The system manipulated the camera images to compensate for a person’s low vision limitations. Although the technology was licensed and marketed by Visionics Corporation, LVES was only commercially available for a short time."
Less than 100 of these were ever made before Visonics Corp. dissolved. Thus, a very interesting collectors item, and STILL better than any other commercial augmented reality systems. As far as I know, these are the only pictures of an actual unit on the internet.
I bought one of these for a mere $31 from a person who obviously had no idea what it was or worth, who had purchased it from an estate sale in Oregon.
Picture of the unit and carrying case:"OK I know nothing about these I looked up the company the lady at the estate sale said that her husband used to work for them and used this all the time until his untimely death. It has 2 batteries that I am guessing go into the head set they are normal makita batteries. The second pic is of the control unit on both sides i cropped the pic. Due to age this is being sold as is. please pay with in 3 days of auctions end. this is in a foamed case from the company has visionics corporation on it and will be shipped in it."
Picture of control box, meant to be battery powered and worn with the user throughout the entire day.
I managed to buy it from this guy extremely cheap, I had almost no competition, he marketed it badly, as he had NO real clue what it was. I pay, I wait eagerly for a few days... Then get this email:
Hello, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience I had my office broke into and lost your item along with my computer and other sold ebay items it hasnt been a fun last couple of weeks. I have issued you a refund. I hope you understand and I'm sorry again. Thanks
I am really, really sad. Not just for my personal missing out on a great deal, but for the fact that when one of these things, out of only 100 ever made, pops up on the internet for the first time in 15 years, it gets stolen. The optics in it must be amazing, and the whole thing was just begging to be retrofitted with modern LCDs and cameras. Especially considering the CRTs were 1.2", the EXACT same size as the CyberDisplay 1280x1024 LCD modules. It would have been a drop in replacement!
Imagine! A 70 degree FOV HMD with adjustable focus, IPD, and eye relief, 1280x1024, with dual color camera modules. It would be a fantastic for gaming, augmented reality, and taking 3D photos and videos in general. What a huge loss.
I will be adding some links to articles, and full copy/pastes with spoiler tags at a later date.Official description from Hopkins university, tells a good story (I am going to add spoiler tags to this forum, so we can make big chunks of text like this expandable, since people will not want to read all of it, especially if there are lots of articles):
The Low Vision Enhancement System (LVES), a battery-powered high-tech visual aid worn like goggles, is now available to selected patients in seven cities.
The LVES was developed by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Veterans Administration.
The device, pronounced "Elvis," is designed to enhance and compensate for low vision in people whose eyesight with conventional eyeglasses is worse than 20/100 in their better eye, but better than 20/800.
"LVES does not fix vision or restore vision. Instead, it alters images to make them easier for people to see with the vision they still have," says Robert W. Massot Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology at Hopkins and lead inventor. He also directs the Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center at Wilmer.
The lightweight headset is fitted with three miniature, black-and-white video cameras. Two of the cameras,,one over each eye, provide a normal, 3-D view to observe what's happening in their environment. A third, more complex camera is used for seeing facial features, fine details of objects, distant objects, or for close-up, detailed work and reading.
Controls built into a battery pack worn on the belt let the wearer adjust contrast and magnify images from 1.5 to 10 times. The unit automatically compensates for changes in lighting to reduce glare in bright light. In addition to displaying images from the built-in video cameras, a cable connection lets the LVES become a personal largescreen display for input from televisions, videocassette recorders or computers.
Patients who wish to participate in the initial distribution program should have had experience using low-vision devices or have been in a low-vision program at a health-care or rehabilitation facility.
"Now that the development and preliminary testing phases are completed, this next step is to refine our ability to evaluate patients who might benefit from the device, to evaluate users and train them to use it," Massof says. "And we'll be expanding our program to train eye-care specialists and prescribe the LVES. If all goes well, the LVES will be more generally available in 1995.11
Future LVES models will compensate for distorted vision and blind spots caused by diseases of the macula, the part of the retina of the eye responsible for sharp vision. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major disease of the retina, is caused by the death of light-sensitive cells in macula, which people use for detailed work, such as reading.
They also will be able to compensate for rapid movement of disorienting, magnified images, and to improve contrast that makes faces more easily recognizable.
"Our engineers are experienced in building vision systems for the military, like the helmetmounted displays that helicopter pilots used during Operation Desert Storm," says Brad Blankenship, president of Visionics Corp. (Vadnais Heights, Minn.), the manufacturer of the LVES. "To use such high technology for this uniquely peaceful, beneficial application is very satisfying."
Most patients receiving the LVES will be fitted and trained at several Veterans Administration medical centers, Massof says. "ne VA has the best programs in the United States for rehabilitating people who are blind or visually impaired," he says.
The LVES is being manufactured and sold by Visionics on an exclusive basis worldwide. Johns Hopkins owns the patent and holds equity in the company. The device, which costs $5,200, is registered with the Food and Drug Administration, but not yet covered by Medicare, according to Massol As more units become available in the future, the price is expected to be reduced.
In addition to Wilmer, other locations offering the LVES are the Deicke Center for Visual Rehabilitation (Wheaton, El.), the Center for the Partially Sighted (Santa Monica, Calif.), and the Veterans Administrations medical facilities in Palo Alto, Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; Northport, N.Y.; West Haven, Conn.; and the Baltimore and Fort Howard Veterans Administration Medical Centers in Maryland.
