Despite MicroVision's optimism two types of challenges must be met before bringing the VRD to market successfully. The first is technical, the second is cultural.
According to published information, several technical obstacles remain with the VRD. Two issues related to the continued development of the mechanical resonant scanner appear to have solutions and are currently being tested to determine their viability. Also, the exit pupil size needs to be enlarged. It appears that MicroVision has determined several approaches to addressing the size issue and are investigating each approach to see which yields the best results.
An interview with Todd McIntyre of MicroVision's Marketing and Business Development department confirmed that the problems associated with scanning have been solved, and that the most pressing technical problem appears to be the cost and increased size needed to generate color, specifically blue and green.
Current work is being concentrated on the issues associated with the color technology including the development of semi-conductor light sources to create colors. They expect to have these issues resolved by late summer 1997.
While it appears that they have their "eye" on the technical issues, perhaps the most difficult hurdle though will be overcoming the human interface issues. Safety testing was set to begin in 1995 and MicroVision believes that the low power used in the VRD will prove safe for the human eye. However, we anticipate that even with the proper testing, convincing users will be cultural problem, not a scientific problem. If there is any doubt as to the validity of this concern, one only needs to look at the reports of CRT's emitting low levels of radiation potentially harmful to pregnant women, and the ensuing lawsuits to be convinced that hysteria reigns. To convince users it is okay to use "lasers to paint pictures in your eye" may prove to be a formidable marketing challenge.
