According to Memes Consulting, IDTechEx, a well-known British research company, recently released this new report on optical components and display technologies, manufacturers and markets for extended reality (xR, including AR/VR/MR) applications, covering All optics and display technologies used in extended reality products. According to IDTechEx, the combined augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) optical components and displays market will exceed $28 billion by 2030. The unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 has restricted social contact, and virtual communication and interaction will be the new normal for many years to come. Although there are still some people who think AR/VR/MR is too avant-garde, in fact AR/VR/MR devices have begun to play an important role in many industries. Today, they are new technologies for the future.

Through in-depth analysis of key players and technologies in AR/VR/MR optical components and display markets, IDTechEx provides users with technology and market trends in this field for the next ten years in the report.

Typical applications of AR/VR/MR

Optical components combined with displays bring a complete immersive experience to AR/VR/MR users. In order to get the image into the user's eyes, many steps need to be performed. AR/VR/MR optical systems usually consist of microdisplays and imaging optics. Microdisplays can choose LCD, OLED, MOLED, LCoS, etc. In a VR device, the image on the display will be directed to the user's eye by a lens. For AR devices, a combiner is needed to fuse the image on the display with the real world.

Why are optics and display technology important?

Optical components will directly affect the experience immersion of AR/VR/MR devices. If ikGodray, rainbow effect, or dizziness and headache are caused by visual vergence problems, it will bring a very bad experience to the user. In the future, the development and evolution of optics for AR/VR/MR devices will drive improvements in these issues. Displays are also a key component in AR/VR/MR devices, they are responsible for creating the images to be presented to the user. Different types of display technologies have advantages, such as better brightness, or better color gamut. Different advantages can be used for different applications. For example, applications in outdoor sunlight usually require the display of AR devices to have high brightness to allow users to see the image clearly.

Which optics were studied in this report?

This report compares the pros and cons of various optical solutions and setups in the market, and presents case studies of the products of the major players in the market. In a VR device, the main optical element is a Fresnel lens. These lenses can magnify the display for the user to watch, which will have a great impact on the user's immersive experience. Therefore, the immersive experience of users is very important and will determine whether they will continue to use these extended reality (xR) devices.