Kopin Corporation (NASDAQ:KOPN), a global pioneer in wearable AR and VR technologies for government, enterprise, professional sports and consumer markets, today is proud to share guidance from its CEO and Founder, Dr. John C.C. Fan, on how to create augmented reality (AR) devices that will be embraced by users.
Fan’s Rules, first revealed earlier this month exclusively to attendees of the AR in Action Augmented Reality Summit at MIT Media Labs, were designed to help all innovators in the AR industry overcome challenges in achieving mainstream adoption of AR. These challenges include user resistance to wearables, overly complex learning curve and lack of clearly defined benefits.
“Kopin has been creating augmented reality technology since long before the term even existed, and providing that technology to military, enterprise and consumer markets. We’ve learned many lessons over the past few decades,” explained Fan. “I am often asked for my advice on how companies can succeed with AR. I created these five simple rules to help them do exactly that.”
Five Rules For Doing AR Right
Humans First.
Humans do not generally want to wear devices on their heads. If users are uncomfortable, they will reject innovation. Prioritize human ergonomics first, technology second.
Physical World First.
Too much virtual content can easily overwhelm the brain. Deliver AR overlays in small, controlled bursts.
Maintain Situational Awareness.
When people become claustrophobic they react predictably. The AR experience must preserve contact to the real world by not obstructing five senses.
Voice Is The New Touch.
Keyboards and touch screens require compromise. In AR, as in the real world, audio is the most effective and proven channel for command/control as well as transmitting and receiving information.
Balance Design With Benefits.
Do not overdesign by adding unnecessary features but design for clear, specific benefits to motivate adoption of AR.
Dr. Fan’s talk can be seen in full here.
About Kopin
Kopin, launched as a spinoff of MIT in 1985, kicked off its efforts to deliver wearable technologies – on a special request from DARPA in the early 90s – to improve situational awareness for soldiers. Since then, Kopin has become the leading supplier for US military pilot helmet HMDs including those used in the F35 Joint Strike Fighter, and provides its microdisplays and optics to wearable headsets for customers in military (Rockwell Collins, Elbit, Thales and DRS), enterprise (Vuzix, Motorola, Fujitsu, Lenovo New Vision, and RealWear) and consumer (Intel/Recon, Garmin, Google, Solos and more).
